College GameDay crew believes Kentucky 'does not have an answer' for Mark Sears

The SEC Player of the Year conversation is a tough one with so much talent within the conference. Antonio Reeves and Dalton Knecht are right there in the mix, obviously, but any and all talk must include Alabama guard Mark Sears.

The 6-1, 185-pound senior is averaging 20.4 points per game to lead the SEC while shooting 50.8% from the field, 43.9% from three and 85.5% at the line — a do-it-all scorer at all three levels. And he’s averaging 4.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.7 steals, so there is more to his game than bucket-getting, too.

Factor in Kentucky‘s up-and-down defensive efficiency, and it’s easy to question how the Cats plan to slow him down. Well, maybe there isn’t an answer at all? ESPN’s College GameDay crew has that mindset going into today’s contest.

“The leader of that pace for Alabama is Mark Sears. Kentucky does not have an answer when it comes to perimeter defense to stopping Mark — no one has an answer when it comes to stopping Mark Sears,” ESPN’s Andraya Carter said Saturday morning. “There are five players in the nation right now averaging 20 points on 50% from the field. Four of them are over 6-7 and Zach Edey is one of those on that list. Mark Sears is on that list.

“He is 6-1, but he’s dynamic, he’s crafty, he pursues the rim relentlessly, he changes speeds. There are so many things that make him tough to guard. I do not think Kentucky has an answer for him.”

Sears is one of many options for a high-octane offense that ranks first nationally in scoring, one of two teams putting up at least 90 points per contest.

“When you think about Alabama, you think about pace — threes, layups and free throws. They spread the court and have four-out, get downhill and make plays,” Seth Greenberg added. “… The spacing, speed and pace of Alabama is gonna put a lot of pressure on that Kentucky defense that has struggled defending the basketball and defending ballscreens.”

“They better stay in front of the ball. That’s the way that Alabama gets their threes,” Jay Bilas said. “It’s not just in transition, they get it by getting penetration. They catch the ball on the run. They’re not catching stationary and then go, they catch it on the run. And that makes them that much harder to guard.”

Thing is, Alabama has to guard Kentucky, too. And the Cats have some playmakers capable of going nuclear on the big stage.

Among them? Mr. Shift himself, Rob Dillingham.

“You know that phrase he is him? That is Rob Dillingham. And I got a chance to sit courtside against LSU and see how he is him offensively. He’s one of the most dynamic scoring guards in all of college basketball, can get a shot off against anybody,” Jay Williams countered. “He really started cooking down the stretch. You can tell that offensively, he is prolific.”

His focus, though, is on DJ Wagner and his ability to bounce back after a rough night in Baton Rouge earlier in the week.

“The challenge that John Calipari has is that when DJ Wagner is not making shots, and you have him in the game with Dillingham, he’s also kind of a liability on the defensive end,” he added. “And that’s where teams start to attack them. So how does Calipari juggle DJ Wagner and Rob Dillingham to play off of each other?”

We’ll find out shortly.