Mark Sears and the Alabama Crimson Tide looked like one of the better teams in the NCAA Tournament through the first three rounds. But the Elite Eight was the end of the road.

On Saturday night, Sears aimed to lead No. 2 seed Alabama to a second consecutive Final Four, but the No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils, led by potential No. 1 NBA draft pick Cooper Flagg, were too much to handle, defeating the Crimson Tide 85-65 in the Elite Eight.

Sears has now finished a five-year college basketball career that started with the Ohio Bobcats in 2020, playing two seasons before transferring to Alabama. 

In three seasons with the Crimson Tide, Sears became a two-time All-American, guiding them to the first Final Four appearance in franchise history.

After the loss, the NCAA sent a parting message to Sears, thanking him for his play over the last five years.

“An all-time great for Bama,” NCAA March Madness wrote on X. “Thank you, Mark Sears.”

Sears exits Alabama with one of his worst performances of the season. Coming off a 34-point performance in the Sweet 16, Sears tallied six points on 2-of-12 shooting, six assists and five turnovers. 

Sears also finishes his college basketball career with 2,839 total points, the 19th most in NCAA history. He fell just 12 points shy of passing Indiana State legend Larry Bird (2,850) for 18th.

Alabama Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears

Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Sears now likely takes his talents to the professionals, where he is projected by some to be a second-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. However, he will certainly go down as an Alabama legend and could find his jersey in the rafters of Coleman Coliseum.

Meanwhile, Duke moves on to its first Final Four under coach Jon Scheyer. They will face the winner of No. 1 seed Houston Cougars and No. 2 seed Tennessee Volunteers.