TUSCALOOSA, Ala.— Amidst the No. 4 Alabama men’s basketball team breaking away from a 40-40 halftime tie to defeat LSU on Saturday night, something was visibly missing. Or, more accurately, someone. And that someone wasn’t just anyone.

Superstar point guard Mark Sears did not play for the entire second half of the Crimson Tide’s 80-73 victory, not scoring any points in the 17 minutes he did record. He appeared emotional at times while on the bench. Social media ran rampant with speculation. In the meantime, the other guards on the team’s deep roster played well in his absence.

Tigers head coach Matt McMahon took notice of Alabama’s guard play throughout the game, particularly from Chris Youngblood (13 points in his first start of the season) and Aden Holloway (19 points, three triples). He added that Youngblood being in the starting lineup and Sears’ name not appearing in the second-half box score did not substantially change his team’s approach.

“I thought our effort on [Sears] in the first half, and multiple guys shouldered that burden, but I thought we did a really nice job defensively on him in the first half,” McMahon said. “Youngblood stepped up… Holloway puts so much pressure on your defense. He’s one of the best shooters in the country. He doesn’t need much time or space.”

Youngblood earned praise from Alabama head coach Nate Oats for being a “whatever you need” type of player who will be keen on helping the team win regardless of whether he starts or comes off the bench. He was 5-for-10 from the field and scored seven of the team’s first nine.

“At first, my family thought I was gonna be mad about not starting, but I was like, man, this team is wonderful,” Youngblood said. “I just embrace this come-off-the-bench role with my boy Biz [Holloway], but they put me in the starting lineup, so I don’t get to come off the bench with him no more. But, you know, it was fun.”

That starting spot had previously been occupied by freshman guard Labaron Philon, who scored 11 points off the bench Saturday and is still seeking to fully emerge from some recent struggles, including a game on Jan. 14 in which he didn’t hit on a field goal attempt. He was also dealing with a minor ankle tweak and did not practice Friday.

“Labaron’s played great for us,” Oats said. “The bigger reason [Philon didn’t start] was he’s been struggling a little bit lately… Holloway’s figured it out pretty well. He’s played great for us. He’s playing as well as anybody in our backcourt right now. I’ve liked his spark off the bench. I kind of said, ‘Baron, let’s try to do that with you, and the injury’s kinda there, stay warm.’ I thought he played pretty well. I thought his attitude was great. He cheered his teammates on.”

Oats declined to go into major detail on any specifics behind Sears’ benching, saying in his opening statement that he went with the five that he thought gave the Crimson Tide the best chance to win out of the break. Going forward, he wants Sears’ response to be similar to that of center Clifford Omoruyi, who vastly improved in the second half after a challenging time on the boards with LSU’s Corey Chest in the first frame.

Philon and Holloway, for the record, also both showcased the best of an area that Alabama has been up-and-down in this season: free throws. Each was perfect from the charity stripe on six attempts. Youngblood, too, converted all of his free throw attempts; he shot a pair. Sears may have been a non-factor in the contest, but the Crimson Tide’s overall guard play, such a major factor not only in league success but also come March Madness, came through against the Tigers.

See Also: Why Mark Sears Didn’t Play in the Second Half Against LSU