It was just one of those nights for Alabama guard Mark Sears. He finished 0-for-5 and was held scoreless for the first time since his time at Ohio. It wasn't just the scoring either, as Sears turned it over twice and showed multiple lapses on defense.

Still, Sears showed his most influential trait towards this team: his leadership.

"I think it showed a lot of Mark's leadership tonight in the huddle," forward Grant Nelson said. "He subbed himself out because he saw other guys were playing well."

Nelson wasn't the only one who noticed this crucial decision that Sears made in favor of the team.

"He was great on the bench," Head coach Nate Oats said. "He was struggling. There's a lot of pressure on him, obviously. ... I tried to put him back in, and he said look, they're playing well."

That decision by Sears gave guards Aden Holloway and Labaron Philon a chance to close out a game against a high-level opponent. That pair never allowed the No. 25 team in the country to come within eight points in the second half.

"I thought we had a group in there that closed the game really well on defense," Oats said.

Bouncing back from the loss to Purdue Friday night was big for Alabama, but doing it without its best player was phenomenal for the development of the team. Next up for the Tide is Las Vegas, which is where Alabama will take part in the inaugural New Players Era Festival.

The Crimson Tide will take on Houston to begin the tournament before playing Rutgers and a to-be-determined opponent.

Related: Nate Oats' Blunt Response to Alabama's Loss to Purdue