The Iron Bowl rivalry didn’t disappoint once again on Saturday. Alabama basketball went down to the wire with Auburn in one of the best college basketball games of the season, and the ending didn’t disappoint. Nate Oats and company were able to force overtime, and it looked like the two teams may be headed for another extra period.
After Auburn star Johni Broome knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner to tie the game at 91, Alabama looked a bit discombobulated on its final possession. Star point guard Mark Sears came off a fake handoff and put up an off-balance floater in the lane that swished through the net as the buzzer sounded, giving Alabama a 93-91 win.
After the game, Oats gave all the credit to his star for the final play after he drew up a lackluster play in the Alabama timeout, according to Nick Kelly of AL.com.
“Bailed me out because that play design wasn’t all that great to be honest with you,” Oats said, per Kelly. “The thing that was great about it is it was in a pretty good player’s hands.”
Sears’ heroics on Saturday made up for what was a lackluster game for the star point guard by his lofty standards. He finished the day with just nine points and seven assists on 3-for-9 shooting from the floor, but he still had the biggest shot of the day.
Coming into this game, Sears had been playing some of his best basketball of the season, so Alabama fans should be confident that this shot will keep growing his confidence heading into the postseason.
This was a crucial win for this Alabama basketball team. The Crimson Tide have now avenged their defeat against Auburn at home in February and are also back to winning ways after taking a tough loss against Florida earlier in the week in Tuscaloosa.
This victory, which will go down as one of the most impressive wins that any team has in the country, also keeps Alabama’s hopes for a No. 1 seed alive in the NCAA Tournament. If Oats and company have a strong week at the SEC tournament, they could easily find themselves on the one-line in a week’s time.
The post Alabama’s Nate Oats gets 100% real about how Mark Sears saved him vs. Auburn appeared first on ClutchPoints.
