Sports

Nate Oats Throws Alabama Star Under The Bus After Lashing From Mom Over Controversial Benching

#Alabama Crimson Tide
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Alabama basketball player Mark Sears battles for a loose ball.

© Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images


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Alabama guard Mark Sears found himself back in Nate Oats‘ crosshairs ahead of a rivalry matchup with the Auburn Tigers. The head coach threw his star player under the bus while ripping his play on the court.

Oats said Sears needed to stop turning ball over in order for the Crimson Tide to succeed. Giveaways have plagued the point guard over the last few weeks.

Those struggles date back to a matchup against LSU where he was surprisingly benched for the second half of action. No reasoning was given. Oats simply said he went with the guys that gave his team “the best chance to win.”

Mark Sears’ mom lashed out at the coach after the fact, calling the scene a “humiliating environment” that led to criticisms of her son’s character. The head coach responded by saying that no one was above the program.

Unfortunately, the benching didn’t send the message Nate Oats had hoped. In the four games that followed, Mark Sears turned the ball over 22 times. He recorded six giveaways or more in three of those contests.

Alabama won each of those four matchups, but Oats knew play needed to be perfect to take down the top-ranked Tigers on Saturday.

The Crimson Tide wouldn’t get a win, but Sears did cut down on mistakes. The veteran led the team in scoring while committing just two turnovers.

Still, it was far from his best performance of the season. Sears was 4-17 from the floor and largely held in check by defender Denver Jones.

Eight of Sears’ 18 points came at the free throw line, and he was unable to get into a rhythm from beyond the arc. The guard entered the game shooting nearly 36% from three-point land. He finished just 2-of-11 on the night.

It was a frustrating night for Alabama players and their basketball supporters. The rivalry loss ended a seven-game winning streak. It also eliminated the Tide’s chances of taking over the No. 1 spot in the rankings.

Mark Sears and Co. will look to get back on track next week in a matchup against Missouri. Alabama will face Auburn one more time to end the regular season.