Last night, Alabama secured their 6th SEC victory and 17th win of the season by defeating LSU. If you missed the game, imagine a 1A Junior Varsity high school match with one team in purple and gold and the other in crimson and white—that’s how chaotic the LSU vs. Alabama game felt. With 28 total turnovers and only 55 out of 132 shots made, the teams combined for a dismal 10 of 46 from three-point range.
The game was marked by disorder, not the spirited kind, but the kind where players were falling all over and playing sloppily. Additionally, Mark Sears had his second scoreless game of the season, which was far from ideal. But despite these issues, Alabama emerged victorious, so for now, all is well.
To jog your memory, back on November 20th, Mark Sears also scored zero points against then No. 25 Illinois, who are currently ranked 17th. That night, Sears played 21 minutes and was 0-5 from the field. He mentioned staying out of the game as the current lineup was performing well. However, the LSU game was different. Sears did not play in the second half after going 0-3 from the field in the first half and was visibly upset on the bench. Coach Nate Oats opted not to discuss it post-game, leaving us uncertain about the situation.
Last year, Sears averaged 21.5 points per game across 37 games, with his lowest being 9 points. This season, he already has two scoreless games out of 20, though outside of these games, his lowest is 11 points, which he has achieved twice. So, it’s not a complete disaster for Sears.
We haven’t reached a “Trea Turner” moment yet, where Philly fans turned around a player’s slump by cheering loudly. There’s no need for a Netflix documentary here. Although Sears isn’t playing as well as last year, he has remained productive, especially at the free throw line, and has increased his assist average by almost a full point. The benching seemed like a challenge from Coach Oats, who praised Clifford Omoruyi for his engaged second-half performance after a lackluster first half.
Earlier, I speculated that Sears could become Alabama’s all-time leading scorer. While this seems increasingly unlikely, his story is far from over. It’s a challenging year for him, but the team is winning. I believe there will be a game this season where Sears will shine and show his true potential. And if not, maybe we try the Trae Turner approach, and who knows, perhaps Netflix would buy that story too.
P.S. Here’s an interesting stat: Since 2020, Mark Sears is the only SEC preseason player of the year to have a scoreless game in that season. None of those players won a National Championship. Maybe having a scoreless game is a bizarre omen for a championship run. Championship loading?
