After getting benched against LSU, Mark Sears earns words of praise from coach Nate Oats after defeating Georgia

Mark Sears redeemed himself in a big way, earning high praise from Alabama coach Nate Oats after a standout performance in the Crimson Tide's win, on Feb. 2, over the Georgia Bulldogs.

Just days after being benched against LSU, Sears bounced back with a strong showing, demonstrating his resilience and determination to get back on track.

“I thought this was the hardest Sears has played, and I told him, it’s good to see. I thought he had some turnovers, (but) he sprinted back and made tough plays on defense, didn’t sulk, and didn’t pout.

His leadership, the effort he gave tonight, I think really helped set the tone for how the team is supposed to look,” Oats said in his postgame press conference via ON3.

Head coach Nate sang the praises of Sears, highlighting his exceptional leadership skills. The guard, who was limited to just 17 minutes of playing time the previous week, logged a team-high 31 minutes on the court.

NCAA Basketball: Alabama at Mississippi State - Source: Imagn

Sears made the most of his extended playing time, delivering a standout performance that included a game-high 20 points on 6-of-14 shooting.

He also contributed six assists and five rebounds, providing a spark that propelled the Crimson Tide to their fifth consecutive win and 13th victory in their last 14 games.

This season, Mark has been putting up impressive numbers for the Alabama Crimson Tide, averaging 18.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game, while shooting 40.4% from the field.

Alabama v South Carolina - Source: Getty

Oats speaks on team performance

Alabama Crimson Tide had a dominant 90-69 victory over the Georgia Bulldogs at Coleman Coliseum on Saturday and Oats commented on the game.

“Defensively, we held them to a .88 (points per possession), which is really hard to do, especially when you turn the ball over 20 times, and they got plenty of opportunities to score off our turnovers.

"But we sprinted back, made big stops. So if we can take that mentality, that effort on the defensive end and clean up the offense, we’ve got something headed into the right direct here going into the second half of conference play,” said Oat.

The Crimson Tide currently sit second in the SEC standings, boasting an impressive 24-3 record this season. They'll aim to keep their momentum going when they take on the Arkansas Razorbacks on Sunday.