A shroud of uncertainty looms over Alabama after losing their seven game win-streak against Auburn. Hope was snatched away from the ‘Bama nation. The Nate Oats-led Crimson Tide could not cash in on their impressive second half comeback, even after Johni Broome’s injury. Alabama needs to figure out their shortcomings pretty soon, because it looks like their schedule won’t allow them any reprieve. Experienced guard Mark Sears, who has been doing really well this season, was part of the problem on Saturday.

Although he put up 18 points, the impact that fans and analysts were expecting was not there. Everyone expected a huge season from Sears after Alabama’s Final Four appearance last year. He was an early favorite for NPOY honors, and his NIL really took off, reaching upwards of $2.1 million! So when he plays bad, people notice.

On The Field of 68: After Dark, analysts John Fanta, Rob Dauster, and Jeff Goodman talked about Sears’ performance. Particularly, Goodman focused on his matchup with Denver Jones, a great defender. “Denver Jones did a great job, probably the best job anybody’s done on Mark Sears all year, frustrating him and that’s the key.”

The six-one point guard shot abysmally from the field, even going 2-11 from deep. None of his shots were hitting, and Jones played him like a fiddle! The Auburn guard ended up with a very efficient 16 points, making three out of five threes, and shooting over 50% from the field.

Goodman continued with his assessment of the Alabama star, pulling no punches. “Mark Sears has to dominate his matchup and instead to me again, he got outplayed on both ends of the court by Denver Jones and Alabama can’t have that especially at home.” Goodman questioned the star’s ability to handle the offense under pressure, saying that he makes some poor decisions. Sears, at that point, looks for his own shot rather than facilitating for his teammates.

If the Alabama star doesn’t bounce back soon, the Crimson Tide might be in trouble. Their upcoming schedule is one of the toughest in the conference, as they have to face teams like Kentucky, Missouri, and even Auburn once more! Without Sears, the team will be in a lot of chaos.

Alabama’s trip to Missouri, what can Nate Oats expect?

The Crimson Tide is all set to wash over the Mizzou Arena on Wednesday to take on the #5 ranked team in the SEC. Although Nate Oats has been phenomenal this year, the way he handles this game will be very telling. It is always tough to bounce back from a loss, and tougher to do it against a great team.

Not only that, Missouri has looked unbeatable at home this season! Their record in the Mizzou Arena so far is 12-1, and they are coming off an impressive win against Georgia as well.

It will be interesting to see how Alabama deals with the sheer length of the Miz Tigers. They have three seven-footers, and are a better rebounding side any day of the week. Where Alabama covers up, however, is the offense. They are ranked #1 in the nation, scoring an average of 90.3 points per game. The Tigers will be hard-pressed to stop their offensive firepower.

Mark Sears needs to get his shooting touch back if he wants to win the next few games. While his performances have been relatively consistent, he’s had his fair share of off days. Alabama has a couple of weeks before they face off against Auburn again, and they need to be better prepared if they want to edge them out for AP rank 1. What do you think? Can the Crimson Tide go on a title run this year? Will they be able to beat Auburn in their rematch? Only time will tell.