It is quite clear Coach Oats knew exactly what he was doing with benching Mark Sears last Saturday night against LSU. That night it seemed kind of crazy we never saw Sears again after a less than stellar first half performance. Of course he wanted to send the team a message that nobody is above the team, but he also knew Sears could handle the benching.
Coach Oats knew he would come back playing harder and it wouldn't hurt the team's chemistry. He knows despite the off game that there is no way Alabama makes another Final Four run without Mark Sears being a big part of the team.
After the closer than expected game against LSU the Tide continued on their winning ways Wednesday night getting a tough win against a physical Bulldogs team in Starkville. Again we saw how deep this roster is four players scoring double digits led by Chris Youngblood dropping 23 on a very good shooting night.
As far as Mark Sears responding to his benching started against Mississippi State dropping 17 points and nine assists. His effort was much more of what Coach Oats wants from his star senior. The only concern I had for him last night was the seven turnovers.
In today's world, there are many who would have sulked and let the benching affect them and the team negatively. Sears understands the importance of Oats' message and used it in a positive manner overall which in turn helped the overall demeanor of the team.
Despite some bumps in the road this Alabama team continues to win in tough SEC road environments and far ahead of where last year's Final Four team was at the end of January. Alabama will look to start the month of February on a strong note with a win Saturday afternoon in Coleman against an up and down Georgia team, which would be their fifth win in a row.