He's indispensable to Mike White's squad, which was recently ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time since long before either coach in Saturday's contest arrived at their respective schools (as Oats pointed out).

Alabama basketball has what Nate Oats called a "sense of urgency" and "respect" against higher-ranked teams on the road. Why not at home in Coleman?

Alabama basketball coach Nate Oats praised Mark Sears' response after he was benched against LSU, but did not say whether he would start at Mississippi State.