Alabama guard ranked among nation's best entering 2024-25 season

A key piece in the Alabama Crimson Tide’s run to the Final Four last season, it is no secret that Mark Sears is one of the top players in college basketball entering the 2024-25 campaign.

That thought has been echoed by numerous college basketball analysts, the latest of which is Andy Katz, who recently ranked Sears as the No. 3 guard in the country entering 2024-25.

In the ranking, Sears trailed only Dylan Harper from Rutgers and RJ Davis from North Carolina, who sat at No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.

Entering his third season in Tuscaloosa, Sears is coming off a career-year during the 2023-24 campaign in which he was one of the SEC’s top players. In Alabama’s run to the Final Four, Sears averaged 21.5 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 4 APG, and 1.6 SPG across 37 games, while also shooting 50.8% from the field, 43.6% from three, and 85.7% at the free throw line.

Sears is now expected to be among the preseason favorites for SEC Player of the Year, among numerous other honors.