gotchanewsdaily.com 
Mark Sears‘ floater from the free throw line at the buzzer lifted No. 7 Alabama to a thrilling 93-91 road win over No. 1 Auburn in the regular season finale for the SEC in-state rivals on Saturday afternoon.
Sears’ game-winner stole the glory from Auburn’s Johni Broome, who strengthened his argument in the race for the national player of the year with a 34-point performance.
Broome hit a 3-pointer with 15 seconds remaining in overtime to tie the score at 91-91. It appeared his shot would send the game to a second overtime until Sears became the hero of the day.
Despite the loss, Auburn (27-4, 15-3) will still be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA men’s tournament and is still the favorite to earn the tourney’s No. 1 overall seed, even if they don’t win a game in the SEC tournament. Alabama (24-7, 13-5) stays alive for its own No. 1 seed in the bracket with Saturday’s big win.
Sears only scored nine points in the Crimson Tide’s win, shooting 3-for-9 from the floor with seven assists. But he made the shot that mattered most, one week after hitting what was nearly the game-winning 3 in a loss to Tennessee.
Grant Nelson led Alabama with 23 points and eight rebounds, setting the tone early on with a poster dunk and “Crimson Crane” pose in front of Broome that riled up the Auburn fans in Neville Arena. Clifford Omoruyi and Labaron Philon each scored 15, getting key baskets in overtime to put the Tide in position to win.
Tahaad Pettiford added 19 points for Auburn, hitting a jumper in overtime that got the Tigers in position for Broome’s game-tying 3. Miles Kelly followed with 13 points, while Broome also tallied eight rebounds and five blocks in a spectacular performance.
The Auburn star also tied the score at 79-79 with 59 seconds remaining in regulation and had an opportunity to win the game. But he missed a fadeaway jumper with three seconds left and the contest went to an extra period.
The SEC men’s tournament begins on Wednesday at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Both Auburn and Alabama will have byes through the first two rounds as two of the top four seeds in the field.
