Alabama puts on record-setting show, buries BYU in 3-point barrage to reach Elite 8

Mark Sears lets it fly as Alabama, with 25 made 3-point field goals, set NCAA Tournament record in rout of BYU. (Photo by Alabama Men’s Basketball)

NEWARK, N.J. — To the casual observer of the four teams remaining in the NCAA Tournament’s East regional, it may have seemed like the fanfare surrounding the Sweet 16 was focused squarely on Duke, with a lesser spotlight on everyone else.

Alabama may end up shining brightest this weekend, no matter the end result.

The Crimson Tide left a lasting impression Thursday, setting a single-game tournament record with 25 made 3-point field goals—overall, 51 of its 66 attempts came from behind the arc—leaving BYU to sink in a hail of its marksmanship in a 113-88 obliteration of the Cougars. The torching display shattered the previous record of 21, set by Loyola Marymount in 1990 against then-defending national champion Michigan.

“That was a fun game if you like offense,” head coach Nate Oats quipped. “That was fun for the fans, I’m sure, at least for the Alabama fans.”

Thursday’s proceedings were also fun for Mark Sears, Alabama’s All-American senior point guard who entered the game having made just five of his last 35 attempts. Sears put those struggles to rest early and often, knocking down 10 of his 16 threes and shooting 11-for-18 on the night, en route to 34 points and eight assists as the Tide did not relent with its explosive effort from long distance.

“Even when I was shooting 14 percent, my confidence was still high,” Sears said, crediting his teammates for upholding his belief in himself. “I never stopped doubting in myself or stopped believing in myself, and my teammates kept encouraging me to keep shooting it. Even though I’m not at my highest peak, they still trust me and want me to shoot the ball. I felt the basket was as big as an ocean, and every time I shot, it felt like it was going in. I just lost myself in the game and let everything else happen.”

“I told Sears, there’s a thing called regression to the mean,” Oats added. “(BYU) had been going under ball screens just about every game we watched. I told (Aden) Holloway and Sears, ‘man, I hope they go under us, because we’re gonna rain them.’”

Alabama proceeded to do exactly that, shooting 12-for-27 from deep in a first half where it dropped 51 points on a Cougar squad that was no stranger to offense in its own right. The prolific display only heightened over the final 20 minutes, with the Tide connecting on 13 of 24 triples to end BYU’s campaign and reach back-to-back regional finals for the first time in program history, a fact not lost on Oats when asked to explain its significance.

“When I got the job, we didn’t have the transfer portal, eligibility immediately, NIL,” Oats recalled. “So it was a little harder to turn it around immediately like you can now. We kind of turned it in year two (2020-21), made that Sweet 16 run and then the recruiting—Bryan Hodgson, Antoine Pettway, now I’ve got Preston Murphy—I’ve had some of the best recruiters in the country get some really good talent to play the way we want to play.”

“I love playing this way, I think players want to play this way. Even our first year, we played this way, we just didn’t have as much talent to do it. Now we’ve been able to get the talent, we keep the resources where we need to and keep making these runs. I think the Alabama fans like us making deep runs in the NCAA Tournament, at least I do.”

The Tide’s run is far from over, though, as Alabama now awaits either Duke or Arizona in Saturday’s regional final. Oats expects a somewhat different tenor of the game then, but is banking on a complete effort from his roster on both ends of the floor.

“We gotta keep moving the ball,” he said. “Whether it’s Duke or Arizona, their defense is gonna be a little different. We’ve gotta do a good job on the offensive side of the ball, showing them how they can get the threes. If whoever ends up winning decides they’re not gonna give us some threes, that’s fine too. Let’s get to the rim. The other thing is our defense is going to have to be really good, because they both have very good offenses.”

“I don’t know that we’re gonna repeat 51 threes attempted, but we’re going to have the guys ready to play the right way, in my opinion, and fresh. And if we get stops, it’s a lot easier to get out in transition.”