NEWARK, N.J. – There is defense, there is strong defense, and then there is what Duke did to Alabama star Mark Sears Saturday night in the East Regional final.
Sears had no space all night. He was like a family of six living in a one-bedroom apartment in New York City. Wherever the star guard went, at least one or two Duke players followed in hot pursuit.
Coming off a sizzling 10 3-pointer performance in the Sweet 16 against BYU, Sears was defensive priority No. 1 for Duke.
And the Blue Devils shut him down. Sears made only 2 of 12 field goal attempts, and only 1 of 5 from 3-point range, and finished with six points.
It was a stunning result, as the Alabama senior guard averaged 19 points per game this year, as Duke held Sears to his third-lowest point total of the year (Sears went scoreless twice in 2024-25) as it advanced to its first Final Four since 2022.
“The big thing for him was showing them bodies, making sure whoever was guarding the ball knew they weren't on an island by themselves and making sure Sears knew that he wasn't on an island with our big or whoever else,” said Duke’s Sion James.
“He’s a phenomenal player, man,” Caleb Foster said. “Our game plan was to sit on his left hand, and make him play inside the 3-point line. And contest every shot he took. And we did a good job on that.”
As hot as Sears was Thursday, Duke shut him down at the start of the regional final immediately. Guarded by a combination of James and Tyrese Proctor, the Alabama star missed his first three shots and didn’t score until 2:17 left in the half.
Quite a few of his shots were long, hitting the back rim and bouncing off. Duke chased him around the perimeter the whole game, and didn’t give him open looks. And when Khaman Maluach or another big guarded Sears on the perimeter, their length made it difficult for him to even get shots off.
Maybe the final crucial stop on Sears came with Alabama down 14 and four minutes to go. Cooper Flagg played a great defensive possession, staying with Sears as he tried to get to the hoop. Eventually, Sears travelled. Flagg and Kon Knueppel screamed and Sears looked around, confused and wondering why he didn’t get a foul call.
It was a masterclass of a defensive performance.
“To hold them to 65 points is incredible,” coach Jon Scheyer said.
