“We haven’t done that much this year”: Alabama coach Nate Oats seemingly takes a shot at Mark Sears after benching him

Alabama coach Nate Oats seemingly took a dig at guard Mark Sears after not playing him during the second half of Saturday's 80-73 win over LSU.

When asked after the game about leaving one his leading scorer on the bench, Sears said, according to On3:

“This is all I’m gonna say about playing time stuff. We played the guys in the second half that we thought gave us the best chance to win the game, and we won the game. Our defense was significantly better in the second half than in the first half, and we haven’t done that much this year."

Fourth-ranked Alabama (17-3, 6-1 Southeastern Conference) and the unranked LSU Tigers (12-7, 1-5) were tied 40-40 at halftime.

Alabama v Connecticut - Source: Getty

Sears, a second-team All-American last season and a graduate student, played 17 minutes but had no points, missing all five of his shots. He had three rebounds and three assists.

Despite his poor performance, the guard is averaging a team-leading 18.1 points along with 2.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game and 39.6% shooting this season.

Nate Oats' message pays off for Cliff Omoruyi

Another player who started the game but didn't start the second half was senior center Cliff Omoruyi.

NCAA Basketball: Final Four-Practice - Source: Imagn

However, Omoruyi's absence was short-lived, as he re-entered the game at the 17:33 mark of the second half and made a significant impact.

Omoruyi finished with eight points, nine rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes. He had four points, seven rebounds and one assist in 14 minutes after halftime, helping to turn the tide in Alabama's favor.

“Same response Cliff gave us in the second half: Be all about the stuff we need to win basketball games,” Oats said.

Alabama will visit No. 14 Mississippi State (16-4, 4-3) on Wednesday and will be looking to extend its winning streak to four games in a row.