Mark Sears and his Tide teammates sprinted past a good BYU team, scoring 100+ points and winning by 25.
Alabama shooting star Mark Sears entered the game shooting 1-of-9 on the 3-point line in the first two games of the NCAA Tournament. The Crimson Tide shot 13 3-pointers in the tournament’s first two games.
The Crimson Tide’s 113-88 victory over BYU at Prudential Center presented a different story. Sears shot 10 of Alabama’s 25 3s on his way to a 34-point performance, and his career-high 3s set up his team’s tournament record. They scored 75 of their 113 points on 25 3-pointers, a tournament record. Wow!
On this night, it was only fitting that he made history for himself and the team. The first-team All-American is also the first player in NCAA tournament history to make 10 3s and eight assists in the same game.
It was amusing when BYU coach Kevin Young told CBS Sports sideline reporter Allie LaForce that the law of averages would catch up to Alabama when he was asked how his team could counteract Alabama’s 3-point shooting. The only thing about the law of averages was that the Crimson Tide had to like their shooting chances. BYU has a reputation for not playing defense, and it showed in this game when BYU let Alabama shoot without any hand checks or leaving a guy open.
When BYU took an 11-6 lead on an 11-2 run in the first half, Sears’ first three of the game set up for him, making five threes of that half. Then, with Alabama and BYU trading points for most of the first half, which saw the Tide take a 32-30 lead, Sears took control at the end when he spearheaded an Alabama 19 – 10 finish to close out the half by hitting a couple of 3-pointers, dishing two assists, and forcing a turnover.
Following the break, Sears hit 5 3s in Alabama’s 62-48 second-half performance, including his tenth 3-pointer that gave his team 100 points.
When you watch the Alabama sharpshooter display his inner Steph Curry, you’re tempted to think maybe he can be the guy that can keep up with Duke’s Cooper Flagg in the Elite Eight. If Alabama is going to beat Duke to go to the Final Four, it needs an encore from its star. He could play the part after shooting 32 percent from the 3-point line while averaging 18 points this season.
The Tide’s Mark Sears (photo courtesy Field Level Media)
While Flagg is the star of the NCAA Tournament East Region, there will be curiosity about Sears after his recent performance. Duke haters would love to see the Alabama star deny Flagg’s national championship pursuit. Watching those two plays makes a critic forget everything wrong about college basketball with NIL and players transferring.
Of course, Sears won’t have it easy against Duke, who is expected to play defense on him. But shooters shoot. They have confidence the ball will go in. Sears has the type of range that NBA scouts crave. He could be a nice second-round or third-round pick for a team that can never have enough shooters.
Sears wasn’t going to let last week affect what he does. He has been too good of a shooter all season to start changing his approach. His success is predicated on his shooting. His shooting is integral to Alabama’s offense, and he came through in the nick of time.
If Sears puts on an encore, Alabama should make the Final Four for only the second time in school history.
