3 sequences that shaped Alabama basketball’s Sweet 16 win over BYU

Alabama basketball put together a dominant offensive performance in a 113-88 win over BYU in the Sweet 16 to advance to the Elite Eight for the second year in a row, and just the third time in program history. The glass-ceiling of the Sweet 16 has been removed, for good, by Nate Oats. It looks like Alabama is going to be a mainstay in the second weekend and beyond in the NCAA Tournament moving forward.

The story of the game was Alabama hitting an NCAA record 25 three-pointers on 51 attempts. It bested Loyola Marymount’s 35-year-old record by four, set back in the 1990 NCAA Tournament in the highest-scoring game in NCAA Tournament history. Loyola Marymount routed defending national champion Michigan, 149-115.

This Alabama team entered the season with national title aspirations. Going into the weekend, they’ll be one of just eight teams left competing to cut down the nets.

It’s not easy to pinpoint key plays in what became a 25-point victory. It’s not easy to pinpoint key shots when you make 25 threes, either. But some shots are bigger than others. These three were the most important to Alabama’s win over BYU.

These three shots were key in Alabama’s rout of BYU

1. Mark Sears hits a three, 16:47 1H – BYU 11, Alabama 9

It might seem silly to point out the first of Sears’ 10 three pointers, especially when the shot happened so early in the game while both teams were still feeling one another out. But sometimes you just need to see the ball go through the net.

That was especially true for Sears, who had made just 5-of-35 from three-point range over the last five games, including just 1-of-9 from deep in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. He had missed his first three-point attempt of the game on the previous possession, but he showed his confidence was still sky-high by launching again.

This three also ended an 11-2 run by BYU that allowed the Cougars to jump out to an early 11-6 lead. Sears went on to torch the nets from there, connecting on 10-of-16 from deep and helping lead the Tide to a new March Madness record.

2. Mark Sears hits a three, 18:01 2H – Alabama 58, BYU 47

Alabama took an 11-point lead into the locker room but it was obvious that BYU was going to come out firing to open the second half to try and get back into the game. The Cougars had gone 1-of-13 from three in the first half and that wasn’t likely to continue considering they are one of the better shooting teams in the country.

The Cougars missed their first shot of the half, but hit three in a row after that, including a three by Trevin Knell. Alabama’s lead had been cut to eight points quickly, following a dunk by BYU’s Richie Saunders.

Sears, as he seemed to all game long, calmly stepped into a three and drained it to push the Crimson Tide’s lead back to 11 points.

3. Aden Holloway’s three puts Alabama up double digits for good, 13:09 2H – Alabama 61, BYU 51

BYU’s last hurrah came prior to the under-12 timeout. Mawot Mag drained a three with 13:23 to go to cut Alabama’s lead to just seven at 58-51. It was the last moment of the game that had any real tension.

On the following possession for Alabama, Aden Holloway drained a three to put the Tide back up by 10. Alabama’s lead would remain double digits the remainder of the game.

Lost in Sears’ 34-point performance is Holloway’s terrific game. The sophomore Auburn-transfer hit six three-pointers of his own on his way to 23 points. Holloway hit 4-of-6 attempts from three in the second half after starting just 2-of-7.