Alabama guard Mark Sears came into Saturday's game against LSU leading the team and the Southeastern Conference in scoring but was held scoreless and spent the entire second half of the Crimson Tide’s

Alabama’s mens basketball team chalked up another win. The difference was the Tide beat LSU with no help from star guard Mark Sears. The usual playmaker for Alabama was held scoreless for the first half of the game and sat out on the bench for the second half.

When Alabama basketball came out for the second half of Saturday’s win over LSU, regular starting point guard Mark Sears wasn’t on the floor. The Muscle Shoals native did not appear in the entire second half, during which the Crimson Tide pulled off a 80-73 victory after the game was tied at 40 entering halftime.

Still, Alabama was just too much as the Crimson Tide's depth eventually wore LSU out, and an 8-0 run in the final four minutes ended any hope of an upset. Alabama is now 6-1 in SEC play and sitting right there with rival Auburn.

We played the guys that we thought gave us the best chance to win in the second half,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said. Sears, a preseason All-American averaging 19 points per game, went 0 for 5 from the field with three rebounds,

Alabama head basketball coach Nate Oats benching Mark Sears against LSU on Saturday night had many meanings, according to one analyst.