Tag: mark sears

Where is Alabama in a reseeded March madness Final Four?

See where Alabama ranks if the Final Four field of March Madness were to be reseeded.

If March Madness were to stop today and the committee reseeded the remaining Final Four teams, where would the Alabama Crimson Tide Basketball team be?

ESPN’s Myron Medcalf argues (subscription required) head coach Nate Oats and the Crimson Tide would be the No. 4 seed.

It is a bit surprising given the fact that NC State is an 11-seed and Alabama, a No. 4 seed, had to beat the No. 1 seed North Carolina Tarheels to get to this point. Despite one of the most impressive offenses in the country, the Senior Staff Writer believes that Alabama’s liabilities on the defensive end could prevent them from a championship run.

Medcalf says of the first-ever Alabama Final Four team,

“But their scoring capabilities also don’t tell the full story. It’s important to note how quickly Nate Oats’ squad can change a game. Playing without Latrell Wrightsell Jr. this weekend, Alabama turned Saturday’s game with a breathtaking display. In the first 13 minutes of the second half, it scored 30 points and made seven 3-pointers. Now, the Crimson Tide — who have made 41.4% of their 3-point attempts in the NCAA tournament — head to the national semifinals, where they’ll have a shot at the ultimate upset with one of the top scoring units in college basketball.”

The UCONN Huskies have won their four tournament games by an average of 27.75 points and have won 10 straight dating back to last year’s national title team. With the way UConn is currently playing, it is pretty hard to see anyone beating them, but if there is a team to do it, Alabama is built to do so as a high-speed team with heavy doses of three-pointers.

[autotag]Mark Sears[/autotag] has been phenomenal all tournament long, but he will need to have one of his best collegiate games of all time on Saturday if Alabama is going to advance.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

What’s the statistical chance Alabama beats UCONN in the Final Four?

Alabama basketball has made it all the way to the Final Four in March Madness, but what chance does the Crimson Tide have in defeating the Huskies?

Alabama Crimson Tide basketball has made it to the Final Four, the first in the program’s history. This March Madness run has been memorable for head coach Nate Oats and his team, but they now face the tough task of taking on the UCONN Huskies with a trip to the national championship on the line in Phoenix.

Star players for Alabama like [autotag]Mark Sears[/autotag], [autotag]Grant Nelson[/autotag], [autotag]Nick Pringle[/autotag] and even [autotag]Jarin Stevenson[/autotag] have played huge roles in getting this team this far in the tournament. UCONN, a No. 1 seed, has been a juggernaut and looks practically unbeatable.

ESPN’s advanced analytics broke down the chance each team has to win this game. In short, it does not look good for the Tide.

The Huskies have a 71.6% chance of advancing past the Final Four, which gives Alabama only a 28.4% chance of keeping its national championship hopes alive.

Alabama recently received some good news from guard Latrell Wrightsell, who has been out since the round of 32 with a head injury. He told reporters that he plans on returning and playing against UCONN.

When will Alabama Basketball and UCONN tip off in the Final Four?

On Saturday, April 6, 2024, at 8:49 p.m. ET, the Crimson Tide and Huskies will get things underway in Phoenix.

The winner of this matchup will go on to face the winner of No. 1 Purdue Boilermakers and No. 4 NC State Wolfpack for a national title.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on X @SpurrFM. 

Relive the excitement of Alabama’s Elite Eight win with March Madness photo gallery

Loved watching Alabama basketball defeat Clemson in the Elite Eight? Relive it with the top images from the massive March Madness win.

After defeating the Clemson Tigers in the Elite Eight of March Madness, the Alabama Crimson Tide basketball team is on to the Final Four to face UCONN. Mark Sears, Grant Nelson, Nick Pringle and others have put together an impressive tournament run so far and it’s not over yet.

In the win over Clemson, Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats’s team remained resilient and didn’t let a scoring drought or a strong run from the Tigers slow them down.

Next up for Alabama is a tough UCONN team that has blown just about every opponent out of the water this tournament. Before looking ahead, however, relive the excitement from the Tide’s win over Clemson that sent the program to its first-ever Final Four appearance!

Photo gallery from Alabama Crimson Tide Basketball’s win over the Clemson Tigers in the Elite Eight of March Madness

Alabama Crimson Tide knocks off Clemson to advance to first ever Final Four

Alabama Basketball’s March Madness run lives on and the program advances to first-ever Final Four appearance!

For the first time in program history, the Alabama Crimson Tide are advancing to the Final Four! It was a back-and-forth game for all 40 minutes, but Alabama’s tenacious defense and Clemson’s inability to make a free throw in the second half was the difference in an 89-82 Alabama victory.

[autotag]Mark Sears[/autotag] and [autotag]Jarin Stevenson[/autotag] both stepped up in massive ways for the Tide as they combined to shoot 15-of-22 from three-point land. Sears also hit six of his final seven threes to get Alabama over the hump. However, the biggest difference in the game was Clemson’s inability to knock down their free throws as they shot 8-of-16 on the day.

The path to the title doesn’t get any easier as they will take on the No. 1 overall seeded UCONN Huskies in the Final Four. The Huskies are the defending national champs and just beat Illinois by 25 in the Elite 8. The game will tip off next Saturday with the time still yet to be announced.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Who is Mark Sears? Meet Alabama’s electric Elite Eight hero

Meet Mark Sears, Alabama’s electric Elite Eight hero.

When Alabama needed a spark in its Elite Eight game against Clemson on Saturday night, it found one in senior guard Mark Sears.

Sears played a huge role in helping Alabama men’s basketball reach its first Final Four in school history after its 89-82 Elite Eight victory over the Tigers.

The Muscle Shoals, Alabama, native played started his career with the Ohio University Bobcats in 2020 and played two seasons there. He then joined the Crimson Tide in 2022 and turned into a key member of its starting lineup.

Why Mark Sears’ mom Lameka mimes shooting free throws with Alabama guard

He’s now one of Alabama’s 2024 March Madness heroes for its first Final Four run. During the team’s Sweet 16 victory over North Carolina, Sears set Alabama’s single-season record for points scored by a player.

While playing Clemson, Sears nailed a staggering seven 3-point shots when his team needed them the most.

One of those came from a mid-court logo in the second half that wowed everyone in attendance for Saturday’s game at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. 

He even hit a massive 3-pointer in the game’s final stretch to help the Crimson Tide inch further away from the Tigers for the victory. He scored 23 points in total during the win.

As the Crimson Tide try to keep this hot streak alive against UConn next weekend, the team will need more stellar play from Sears beyond the arc.

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Alabama’s Mark Sears deserves to be in March Madness MVP conversation thus far

Alabama guard Mark Sears has been the Tide’s strongest player in March Madness and should enter the Sweet 16 in the Tournament MVP conversation.

Alabama basketball has made it to the Sweet 16, where they will face the top-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels. One player has led the team through two impressive tournament games and is being praised as a possible March Madness MVP candidate to this point.

Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears has been a team leader all season long and is now viewed as the team’s biggest impact player (subscription required), according to ESPN college basketball analyst John Gasaway.

“If you were picking a most valuable player of the tournament so far, Sears would definitely be in the conversation,” writes Gasaway. “Averaging 28 points over two games is partly a function of Alabama’s fast pace, but Sears has been valuable beyond scoring. When the Crimson Tide were in trouble against Grand Canyon, the senior responded with 12 rebounds, six assists and three steals.”

As a veteran, Sears’s performance on the court has been extremely valuable, but his leadership has also played a large role in the team’s success.

Heading into the 2023-2024 college basketball season, many fans were worried about Alabama’s ability to maintain the competitiveness that it held in recent seasons under Nate Oats. With high roster turnover and a completely new coaching staff, the odds were stacked against the Crimson Tide.

Led by Sears, the team was in contention to win the SEC up until the last few games and they have since been able to adapt to their opponents and be victorious through two rounds of the March Madness Tournament.

As the team prepares to take on North Carolina, it’s expected that the offense will, once again, run through Sears.

“Collectively, Alabama has attacked the paint often enough to post the healthiest tournament free throw rate of any Sweet 16 squad,” writes Gasaway. “The always formidable Crimson Tide offense is in full stride with Sears as the featured scorer.”

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama basketball as the NCAA Tournament rolls on.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on X @SpurrFM. 

Charles Barkley calls Grand Canyon’s game against Alabama ‘One of the dumbest I’ve ever seen’

Charles Barkley’s hilarious reaction to Grand Canyon’s “Dumbest basketball game he’s ever seen” vs. Alabama

There was a huge sigh of relief from the Alabama faithful Sunday evening as they secured an 11-point victory over Grand Canyon University to advance to the Sweet 16. The other feeling was one of ‘what in the world did I just watch?’

Granted it was not the prettiest game Alabama has ever played, Grand Canyon just played a game of pure chaos for two hours. With only five assists in the entire 40-minute game, it was like the Antelopes came down the court and just wanted to go one-on-one every possession with no control or composure. Grand Canyon also shot just 2/20 from three, turned the ball over 14 times and missed 14 free throws. There was just no rhythm about their offense and it was truly the most bizarre thing I have seen on the basketball court.

Auburn legend and March Madness personality [autotag]Charles Barkley[/autotag] was hilariously beside himself after watching Grand Canyon play the dumbest game of basketball he has also ever seen. Barkley said of the game, “I’m not sure what they were doing offensively, I don’t think they ran a play in the entire second half… That was some of the dumbest basketball I’ve ever seen grown college men play. [autotag]Mark Sears[/autotag] was the only guy who played with complete composure the entire game. Congratulations to Alabama University it’s a great school and [autotag]Nate Oats[/autotag] does a great job.”

The Tide will be back in action Thursday evening when they take on the No. 1 seeded North Carolina Tar Heels in the Sweet 16. Alabama enters the contest as a 4.5-point underdog.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

PHOTO GALLERY: Top images from Alabama’s win over Grand Canyon

Relive the excitement from Alabama’s Round of 32 win over Grand Canyon with the top photos from the game!

Alabama basketball took down Grand Canyon in a low-scoring thriller that grabbed the nation’s attention. The four-seed Crimson Tide battled to the very end to defeat the No. 12-seeded ‘Lopes and advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

Mark Sears, once again, took charge of the team and led Alabama in scoring and rebounds. His leadership has boosted the Tide all season long and is now helping them in a deep March Madness tournament run.

Up next for head coach Nate oats and his team is the top-seeded UNC Tar Heels in the West Region. An upset win in Los Angeles would take the Tide to the Elite Eight.

Before looking ahead, however, relive the excitement from Alabama’s most recent win over Grand Canyons with the top images from the contest.

Alabama takes down Grand Canyon in low-scoring thriller, advances to Sweet 16

Despite it being a lot closer than many anticipated, Alabama defeats Grand Canyon and moves on to the Sweet 16.

No. 4 seed Alabama makes it out of the Round 32 after defeating No. 12 seed Grand Canyon University with a final score of 72-61. This will be the Crimson Tide’s second consecutive trip to the Sweet 16.

Now, Nate Oats and his team will take on the top-seeded UNC Tar Heels for a trip to the Elite Eight.

Though many fans had things to say about the officiating of the game, the Crimson Tide players came out ready to play a style of ball they weren’t all too comfortable with. It wasn’t a fast-paced, high-scoring affair. It ended up being a physical battle at the rim, with Alabama’s ability to shoot the three being one of the biggest difference makers.

It should not come as a surprise that Mark Sears led the Tide in scoring with 26 points, but he also had a team-high 12 rebounds.

The biggest storyline to follow ahead of playing UNC will be the health of Latrell Wrightsell, who suffered a head injury early in the first half and was ruled out after being taken to the locker room.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama basketball as the team looks to continue its March Madness run.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on X @SpurrFM. 

PHOTO GALLERY: Alabama takes down Charleston in Round of 64

Alabama basketball advances to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after defeating Charleston. Relive the excitement through the top photos from the game.

No. 4 seed Alabama basketball had no issues in taking down 13-seed College of Charleston in the first round of March Madness. The Crimson Tide did manage to give up 96 points, which should present some worries regarding the defense, the offense put up a whopping 109 points.

Mark Sears was, once again, the star of the show as he put up a total of 30 points of his own.

Now, the Crimson Tide takes on No. 12 seed Grand Canyon, which upset the No. 5 St. Mary’s squad. This will be an interesting matchup as the pace of play between both teams could cause some hiccups for both rosters.

Before looking ahead, relive the excitement from the Crimson Tide’s win over the College of Charleston with the top images from the game.