The Alabama Crimson Tide made another deep NCAA Tournament run, led by Mark Sears in his fifth and final season of college basketball.
Alabama advanced to the Elite Eight with victories over BYU, Saint Mary’s, and Robert Morris before falling to No. 1 Duke.
After the season, Alabama’s official social media celebrated a major achievement for Sears, announcing that he was named a Top 5 candidate for the Wooden Award, which honors college basketball’s most outstanding player.
“Wooden Award All-American,” Alabama posted. “Congrats to Mark Sears on being named a Top 5 candidate for the Wooden Award.”
Sears is a finalist alongside Auburn’s Johni Broome, Duke’s Cooper Flagg, Purdue’s Braden Smith, and Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr.
His matchup against Duke was his last college game, capping a career that included two seasons at Ohio and three at Alabama.
Throughout the season, Sears proved to be one of the nation’s top scorers and a vastly improved playmaker.
He averaged 18.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game, leading Alabama in scoring and assists.
Sears played a key role in Alabama’s ranked victories over North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Kentucky, and Auburn.
