That's the version of the All-American point guard that Oats is hoping will take the floor for the No. 4 Crimson Tide from here on out, and not the version he thought he saw when he benched Sears for the duration of the second half of last Saturday's win against LSU.

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.

As of Monday night, the team has a 17-3 record are sitting at No. 4 in the AP Top 25. With that being said, Oats still made a drastic decision in the team’s last game on Saturday. The coach opted to bench star guard Mark Sears for the 2nd half of the game against LSU.

No. 4 Alabama pulled away from LSU on Saturday night in the second half for an 80-73 win without the services of the SEC's leading scorer entering the weekend, Mark Sears, who logged zero minutes over the game's second half after leading the team with 17 first-half minutes.

Ever wanted to play for Alabama basketball? You need to make it through a Nate Oats practice first. Here's your survival guide.

Nate Oats gave an update on Alabama basketball's Houston Mallette, who has been out since Texas A&M, while previewing LSU on Friday.

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

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

Alabama and Mississippi State tip off at 8 p.m. CT on Wednesday in Starkville, MS. Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She c