Really, when playing Alabama, one question determines the outcome of the game; how well did the Crimson Tide shoot from three? Alabama is fourth in three-point attempts and 14th in three-point percentage at 37.9%. Nate Oats leans heavily on analytics and has completely phased out the mid-range game from his offense.
Oats’s style has made Alabama a high-variance team, but this season Mark Sears has emerged as their steadying force. Sears is averaging 20.4 points a game, up from 12.2 last season, and is shooting 50.9% from the field and 44.7% from three on 5.2 attempts per game.
Sears has scored over 20 points in 10 of Alabama’s last 11 games and against Auburn he dropped 22 in Alabama’s 79-75 win over Auburn on January 24th. Then, he scored 25 in the February 7th rematch which Auburn won 99-81.
With his shooting and quickness, Sears is a difficult matchup for any team, but at just 6-foot-2 his lack of size means he’s not the worst matchup that the Tigers could draw in the SEC Tournament.