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The Tuscaloosa News
Alabama basketball is in the Sweet 16. If Tide's 3-pointers start falling, watch out.
- Story byThe Tuscaloosa News
- Alabama basketball is in the Sweet 16. If Tide's 3-pointers start falling, watch out.
CLEVELAND — Heading into the Sweet 16, Alabama basketball is doing all the things that critics have wondered if the incumbent Final Four team is capable of doing.
In Sunday's 80-66 win against Saint Mary's, the No. 2 seed Crimson Tide spent 40 minutes making statements. Alabama has defense. It can protect the rim. Forward Grant Nelson will rally at any cost, but the depth is there if not.
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Most of all, Alabama (27-8) doesn't need threes to win, not from injury-sidelined Latrell Wrightsell Jr . or even one from All-American guard Mark Sears , who went 0-for-4 from deep vs. the Gaels.
Coach Nate Oats had doubts that his team could make it past the first round after a disappointing finish to the SEC Tournament in Nashville, where Alabama was eliminated by Florida. If the Crimson Tide keeps playing the way it did against the Gaels, the bigger question will be when the journey will end, and whether that might be in a return to the Final Four.
If the 3-pointers start falling, it may get there.
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Sears, who sat out for the majority of the first half vs. Saint Mary's with foul trouble and went 5-for-15 from the floor, knows shots aren't falling quite as easily for him as they did when he converted 95 3-pointers last year. That number ranks No. 6 on the school career record list for 3-pointers made in a single season.
He's not stressed about it, and neither are his teammates.
Alabama basketball still has 3-point attack to unleash
Sophomore Jarin Stevenson, who encountered a six-game drought of his own to start the season, knows it will come, and if Sears keeps moving the ball like he did supporting Labaron Philon 's team-leading five assists with three of his own against the Gaels, it won't be a big deal if it doesn't.
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"I feel like Mark's shot's going to fall," Stevenson said, but added others can "pick it up" while reminding of that depth that contributed 27 bench points in the win Sunday.
Going into Saturday, Alabama ranked 14th in 3-point shots per game, averaging 29.5, and 18th on made 3-pointers at 10.3 per game. On the season, Sears is making a little over 33% from downtown. On last year's Final Four run, he shot over 45% from the three-line. Again, this Alabama depth doesn't force him to shoulder the load on his own.
In the first round against Robert Morris, Alabama was 6-for-21 from deep and still scored 90 points.
The Crimson Tide finished 7-for-17 from deep against the Gaels, led by 13 points for Chris Youngblood and 10 from Mo Dioubate, who went 3-for-3 and 2-for-2 around the perimeter, respectively. In total, there were six Alabama players in double-figures. Alabama was 6-for-21 from 3-point range in its NCAA opener against Robert Morris.
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In Alabama's first two NCAA Tournament showings last season, the offense was doing what it's become known for since Oats gave his players permanent green light to shoot threes when he arrived in 2019. Eleven 3-pointers for Alabama drowned College of Charleston with 109 points in the first round last March. The second round against Grand Canyon was Alabama's worst deep night in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, and it still made eight before getting back in the double-digits with 11 against North Carolina, 16 against Clemson and 11 against UConn.
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The Crimson Tide isn't scared because threes aren't raining, but other teams need to be ready for the bottom to fall out: Alabama still has the shooters to deal them.
Even if the shots aren't as consistent as they were last year, when Alabama finished the season shooting over 37% from three-point range compared to just over 31% today, Youngblood finds the number of guys who can make shots when the moment rises to be the difference.
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It helps that Alabama is more productive in the paint, totaling 431 offensive rebounds on the season so far after ending last year's historic national semifinal run with 471.
Mar 21, 2025; Cleveland, OH, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears (1) shoots the ball in the second half against the Robert Morris Colonials during the NCAA Tournament First Round at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
"That's kind of the reason I think we're going to win the national championship," Youngblood said. He knows that opponents are going to "key in" on Sears in an attempt to bounce Alabama.
"With this team, you can't really do that," Youngblood continued. "It could be somebody different every day. Like, tonight happened to be my night. Next game might be Biz. May be Labaron."
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Youngblood sees it coming together at the right time.
"It's working out just like I expected," Youngblood smiled.
On Thursday, Alabama will play BYU in the next round, set to take place at Prudential Arena in Newark, New Jersey.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.
This article was updated to correct a typing error made in the headline.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Alabama basketball in Sweet 16 and hasn't unlocked 3-point potential
