The mission was clear from Alabama basketball in its 113-88 Sweet Sixteen victory over BYU on Thursday. Make shots.

Which the Crimson Tide did. Head coach Nate Oats' squad exited the floor at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey with the most threes hit in one game of any NCAA Tournament team in history. Senior guard Mark Sears led the way for Alabama with 34 points on 10-of-16 shooting from behind the arc.

“We've been working all week to get our shot right,” Sears said, per CBS Sports. “The matter of preparation that we put in, it led to the success we had tonight.”

After a huge struggle with his three-point shooting against Saint Mary's in the second round last weekend, Sears was due for a redemption outing. But only his team understood how far he'd go with it.

Alabama basketball's national championship declaration after insane shooting performance

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Mar 27, 2025; Newark, NJ, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears (1) handles the ball against Brigham Young Cougars forward Richie Saunders (15) during the second half during an East Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Prudential Center.
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Sears and the Crimson Tide now enter the Elite Eight with mountainous expectations. They fell shy of the Final Four last year, but there is very little reason to argue that they'll experience another letdown. Sears and his teammates believe that they are resilient. They trust each other like never before.

“Even though when I was shooting 14 percent my confidence was still high,” Sears said. “I never start doubting myself or stop believing in myself. My teammates also kept encouraging me telling me to keep shooting, keep shooting, keep shooting, and it just shows the trust in them that even when I'm not at my highest peak, they still trust and want me to shoot the ball. So, you know, it's a big shoutout to them.”

The East region matchup that everyone in college basketball has been waiting patiently for will take place on Saturday at 8:49 PM ET. Alabama vs. Duke.