Tuscaloosa, Ala. - In his postgame press conference following Alabama's 80-73 victory over the LSU Tigers, coach Nate Oats discussed his thought process behind his playtime decision in the second half.

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"I'll just say this, and I'm not going to talk anymore about playing time stuff. We went with the guys in the second half that gave us the best chance to win the game, and we won the game" said Coach Oats in his opening statement, "Our defense was significantly better in the second half than in the first half, and we haven't done that much this year."

Nate Oats did not comment on the elephant in the room about why Mark Sears did not play in the second half. However, the decision seems likely linked to effort.

Sears appeared visibly emotional on the bench during the second half, seeming frustrated while talking to assistants Preston Murphy and Ryan Pannone and his teammates. Coach Oats appeared to not speak to Sears throughout the duration of the second half.

When asked about the response coach Nate Oats wants to see out of Sears, Oats responded, "Same response Cliff gave us in the second half; be all about the stuff we need to win basketball games."

Omoruyi, who was benched to start the second half, responded by winning tonight's hard hat and by leading the Crimson Tide in second-half rebounds.

Sears went scoreless for the second time this season; the only other scoreless night was on November 20, where Sears sat the final 11:27 minutes of the game.

The Tide were capable without Sears down the stretch, surviving the Tigers' attack behind a strong performance from Aden Holloway and Chris Youngblood, who scored 19 and 13 points, respectively.

For more Alabama Baseball, Basketball, and Football content from Simon Besnoy, follow him on Twitter at @SimonBesnoy and stay tuned to Tide1009.com for daily news.

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