NEWARK, N.J. — Mark Sears shot a free throw late in the second half that could have cut Alabama's deficit to 10 — a last-gasp effort at a comeback still within reach — and watched the ball clang off the back rim.
Even the supposed gimmes weren't automatic for Sears.
The star guard equated the hoop to the size of an ocean in his mind after sinking 10 3-pointers in the Sweet 16. But against Duke, with a Final Four berth at stake, that rim for Sears shrunk to the size of a teardrop.
Duke handcuffed Alabama's All-American and did a pretty good job stifling the rest of the Crimson Tide, too.
Sears was held to six points and Alabama followed an NCAA Tournament-record 25 3-pointers with only eight, dooming its shot at a second straight Final Four with an 85-65 loss in the East Region final Saturday night.
Sears — who finished 2 of 12 from the field and 1 for 5 on 3s — shot a clunker on Alabama's first attempt of the game and never got untracked. He hit 10 3s and scored 34 points on the same Prudential Center court only two nights earlier against BYU. This time, Sears made his only basket of the first half with 2:17 to go, pulling Alabama within eight.
Cooper Flagg and Duke looked largely unflappable — and unstoppable — en route to an 18th Final Four.
The Blue Devils gave Sears nowhere to go and left him scrambling for open looks. Labaron Philon hit a trio of 3s and scored 16 points for Alabama (28-9), but the highest-scoring team in the nation was nearly held to a season low for points.
