Asked why Mark Sears sat out in the second half of Saturday's win vs. LSU, Alabama coach Nate Oats said: "We played the guys that we thought gave us the best chance to win in the second half."

Alabama basketball star guard Mark Sears was benched in the second half of the Crimson Tide's win over LSU. Here's what coach Nate Oats said about it.

Alabama's Mark Sears was emotional on the bench as he has yet to check into the second half of Saturday's game against LSU.

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.

No. 5 Alabama men's basketball made some strides this past week with victories over South Carolina and then-No. 10 Texas A&M. Alabama Preseason All-American gua

Just days after reaching the 2,500 point milestone, Alabama guard Mark Sears was benched in the 2nd half against LSU

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.

It goes without saying that Mark Sears, the Preseason National Player of the Year, has been instrumental in the Tide’s success this year. Last week Alabama picked up two key road wins in the SEC in a 20-point road victory vs. South Carolina and a top-ten win on the road against Texas A&M and Sears was a vital part of that.

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 basketball coach Nate Oats benched his star player Saturday night, Mark Sears. And you can bet he's got every player's attention over it.