Will Mark Sears Challenge Johni Broome for SEC Player of the Year? Just a Minute

Two of the best players in college basketball reside in the state of Alabama, with both averaging over 18 points per game.

Alabama guard Mark Sears (1) dribbles the ball against South Carolina at Colonial Life Arena in Columbus, SC on Wednesday, Jan 8, 2025. | Alabama Athletics

Welcome to BamaCentral’s "Just a Minute," a video series featuring BamaCentral's Alabama beat writers. Multiple times a week, the writers will group up or film solo to provide their take on a topic concerning the Crimson Tide or the landscape of college sports.

Watch the above video as BamaCentral's Katie Windham discusses two of the best players in the SEC: Alabama guard Mark Sears and Auburn forward Johni Broome. Can Sears beat out Broome for SEC Player of the Year?

After Alabama's 20-point blowout at South Carolina, Crimson Tide head coach Nate Oats said his veteran guard Mark Sears looked like a national player of the year candidate. Sears had 22 points on a 67 percent shooting night from 3 with three rebounds and six assists.

Sears certainly has the capability of becoming an all-American and player of the year, but he's going to be facing a tough challenge for individual SEC and national awards against Auburn forward Johni Broome. Sears (18.5 ppg) and Broome (18.7 ppg) are second and third in the SEC in scoring.

Broome is averaging a double-double for the Tigers, leading the SEC and fifth in the country with 11.2 rebounds per game. Sears is fourth in the league in assists at 4.5 per game while playing an average of 32 minutes per game.

Broome has been putting up consistent numbers all season long, and Sears has been heating up the last few weeks, scoring 22 points in both of the Crimson Tide's first two SEC games. The two players are dominant at the positions they play and will face off twice this season: Feb. 15 in Tuscaloosa and March 8 in Auburn.

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