Mark Sears

[UCfor3]

Sears is better inside the arc and around the rim, pretty dead even as 3PT shooters though. Neither has Kemba speed, or quickness though I think Sears has a bit more shake to his game.

I'd argue though that Bouie led a worse team to better regular season wins. Bama basically beat three NCAA teams all year in Mississippi State, Auburn and Florida before the tournament started.


Sidenote:
I am also confused why everyone is saying their defense has improved. Right now their defense is at 102.2 ADJDE on Torvik for the year. In their four NCAA games they have been at 106, 83.6, 108.5, 105.5. That is one very good defensive performance and three bad ones. On the flip side their offense has been on a tear for four games (125.7 ADJOE for the year) for 131.6, 107.2, 137.2, 133.3.

UConn has only been that good offensively once in the NCAAT against SDSU, though UConn's defense has been absurd from Torvik numbers in the tournament.

That's why I said dangerous instead of outright better. Sears can go on heaters and it's just bombs away from parking lot deep. Sears is also a guy that plays with major confidence and less likely to be mentally flustered by a great defender like Castle. That's not to say it won't happen. Not worried either way.

 

[Kathy]

Never met a Purdue fan, eh?

Tip off classic 1992 - UConn-Purdue, Marshall vs Robinson. Brought my nephew to the game, Purdue fans were brutal, even to him.

 

[DRBackup]

DOOOOOOOOOOOMED!!!!

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Alabama (86) vs Purdue (92) 12/9/2023

Sears 35 PTS, 8-16 3PT, 1 AST, 4 TO
Edey 35 PTS, 11-11 FT, 7 REB, 0 BLK

View attachment 98917

Watched that game. Smith is a pretty good defender but short. The rest of their perimeter guys are okay at best. The biggest issue with defending Sears that game was PnR coverage. Edey plays that really deep drop coverage because he’s too slow to play like Clingan does. Sears got a lot of open looks from 3 that way because there really wasn’t anyone to contest if Smith got caught on a screen. Castle/Diarra and Clingan’s more aggressive drop coverage will present a much bigger challenge for him.

 

[Mr. French]

Even though Sears is a better version of Jalen Brunson mixed with Shabazz and Kemba, I think Danny and crew will focus on the pick and roll coverage and limit his in rhythm pull up 3s.

Otherwise, contest and recover hard on the kick out 3s and rebound, and we’re good.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

Even though Sears is a better version of Jalen Brunson mixed with Shabazz and Kemba, I think Danny and crew will focus on the pick and roll coverage and limit his in rhythm pull up 3s.

Otherwise, contest and recover hard on the kick out 3s and rebound, and we’re good.

Tennessee is probably the closest game plan for us defensively. The physicality of their guards on defense clearly made Alabama less comfortable. Couple areas that made those games reasonably close were a) TN didn’t have the rim protection to really shut down the paint, b) Ziegler was just too small to really do anything when he got by his man, and c) they just couldn’t create outside of Knecht. Rewatching the TN game made me pretty confident.

Edit: after watching that and the Purdue game, my other takeaway is Grant Nelson is a horrible, horrible post defender. I know the prevailing thought is Oats will have him play the five and go five out but I don’t think there’s a chance they can make that work defensively. He will get absolutely manhandled by Clingan and foul out by halftime.

 

[OceanDoggie]

Alabama (86) vs Purdue (92) 12/9/2023

Sears 35 PTS, 8-16 3PT, 1 AST, 4 TO
Edey 35 PTS, 11-11 FT, 7 REB, 0 BLK

View attachment 98917

Game highlights

 

[Waquoit]

Another game, another guy I never heard of that's going to beat us.

 

[ctbro1999]

Another game, another guy I never heard of that's going to beat us.

I heard a LOT more about Buie and Shannon Jr too prior to the games against us...

 

[Khal Drogo]

Actually I've been deep, deep in purdue country for a long time. 3/4 of my wife's extended family (12 people, uncles cousins, spouses) went to purdue and they all live in Indiana, and we are there 10 times a year. They fly purdue flags outside their homes.i would wear uconn gear and there wasn't a peep. They didn't have a thing to say about us till last year and mainly because we were both battling for the top spot and even then it was congenial. They dislike us as much as anybody dislikes the repeating champs right now.

I like you Jay but can’t stand your family. No offense.

 

[Martin]

View attachment 98861

View attachment 98862

Wasaay tooo funny!!!!!