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BYU's Richie Saunders is sandwiched between two Alabama defenders in an NCAA Sweet 16 men's basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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Alabama guard Mark Sears (1) reacts during the second half of a Sweet 16 round NCAA college basketball tournament game against Brigham Young, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Newark, N.J.

Julia Demaree Nikhinson, AP Photo

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BYU's Trevin Knell hugs teammate Egor Demin in the locker room after a 113-88 loss to Alabama in an NCAA Sweet 16 men's basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Kevin Young answers questions from the media following a 113-88 loss to Alabama in an NCAA men's basketball Sweet 16 matchup at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Richie Saunders goes up for a layup in an NCAA Sweet 16 men's basketball game against Alabama at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Egor Demin rises up for a shot against Alabama in an NCAA Sweet 16 men's basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Trey Stewart helps teammate Fousseyni Traore up after coming up with a loose ball in an NCAA Sweet 16 men's basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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The BYU men's basketball team prepares for its Sweet 16 matchup against Alabama at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Trevin Knell dives for a loose ball against Alabama in an NCAA Sweet 16 men's basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Richie Saunders goes after a loose ball against Alabama n an NCAA Sweet 16 men's basketball game at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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The BYU men's basketball team prepares for its Sweet 16 matchup against Alabama at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU's Egor Demin (left) and teammates watch film before their Sweet 16 matchup against Alabama at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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From left, BYU's Mihailo Boskovic, coach John Linehan and Kanon Catchings watch video in preparation for their Sweet 16 matchup with Alabama at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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The BYU men's basketball team practicing at New Jersey Institute of Technology on game day before its Sweet 16 matchup with Alabama in Newark, N.J., on Thursday, March 27, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

❮ ❯

NEWARK, N.J. – An old basketball saying goes, “Live by the 3, die by the 3.”

BYU’s 113-88 loss to No. 2 seed Alabama in Thursday’s Sweet 16 matchup was the perfect example of that idiom, because the Cougars couldn’t make ’em or defend ’em and that killed their March Madness dreams.

The “defend em” part was the biggest problem for BYU, which surrendered an NCAA Tournament record 25 triples on 51 attempts.

“We weren’t able to adjust,” BYU coach Kevin Young said. “They lead all the power conferences in points in the paint, and you can get paralyzed by the three. We’ve seen other teams get paralyzed by our 3-point shooting and then you live at the rim. That was an incredible performance by them, and we didn’t do enough to stop it.”

The Cougars made just 6 of 30 (20%) from distance in one of the season’s worst shooting performances.

Give credit to the Crimson Tide, which got hotter than a Tuscaloosa summer day from distance, but BYU’s defense beyond the arc was not very good early and that simply gave Alabama all the confidence it needed.

Mark Sears set a program NCAA tournament record with 10 3-pointers and led all scorers with 34 points. After the game, Sears was asked by college basketball reporter Andy Katz how big the basket was for him.

“As big as the ocean,” Sears said.

Teammates Aden Holloway (23 points, 6 of 13 from 3) and Chris Youngblood (19 points, 5 of 11 from 3) combined with Sears to make 21 of the Crimson Tide’s 25 3’s.

“Listen, I’ve got to teach these guys some math,” Alabama coach Nate Oats said. “I told Sears there’s a thing called regression to the mean. His last six games he was shooting 14 percent, 5 of 35. He’s not a 14 percent shooter, obviously. They (BYU) had been going under ball screens just about every game we watched. I told both those guys, Holloway and Sears, man, I hope they go under us because we’re going to rain on them.”

BYU’s Richie Saunders said, “I don’t have the stat sheet in front of me, but when they when they’re shooting tough shots, it’s just hard to hard to come back from that. They were just hitting everything.”

In three NCAA Tournament games, BYU gave up 42 3-pointers, so there will be an easy point of emphasis for the Cougars in the off-season.

Saunders scored 25 points to lead BYU, making 9 of 12 field goals and grabbing six rebounds. Egor Demin scored 15 points and Keba Keita 13 for the Cougars, which held a whopping 50-16 advantage in the paint but exchanged twos for threes all night long, and that math never adds up the way you want it.

The Cougars wanted to keep Alabama off the free throw line, where it excels, but the Crimson Tide players were more than happy to take wide open 3-pointers. Alabama scorched the nets for 12 triples in the first half, most of them without much of a challenge from BYU defenders. Sears made 5 of 7 and had plenty of help from his teammates, where Labaron Philon, Holloway and Youngblood all had at least two makes.

BYU went on a 9-0 run, with five points from Trevin Knell, to push out to a 9-4 lead less than three minutes into the game. But Alabama made six straight 3-point shots, three from Sears, to go up 24-19 at the 12:52 mark.

Fousseyni Traore scored seven consecutive points inside, including a 3-point play, to pull the Cougars to within one at 27-26 with 10:43 to play in the half. But Alabama continued its 3-point onslaught and began to pull away, taking a 10-point lead at 44-34 on Youngblood triple with 4:45 to go. BYU had the last shot but Knell’s 3-point attempt was blocked by Grant Nelson and the Crimson Tide led 51-40 at the break.

Alabama shot just six free throws in the first half (two were on a technical foul issued to Keita) but more than made up for it from the 3-point line, where it was 12 of 27. In fact, the Crimson Tide attempted just seven shots inside the arc and were led by 17 from Sears, who also had five assists.

Saunders had 12 points for BYU but the Cougars were a woeful 1 of 13 from the 3-point line, including a string of 11 straight misses after Knell opened their scoring with a triple.

BYU opened the second half with a 3-pointer from Knell, but the senior was whistled for a taunting technical and Alabama made two free throws in response. Sears kept up the 3-point festival and made two more from deep, including a 28-footer than gave the Crimson Tide a 63-47 lead with 16:48 to play.

Demin got his offensive game moving in the second half and scored nine straight points, and a 3-pointer by Mawot Mag cut the Alabama lead to seven, 68-61, with 13:19 to play. The Crimson Tide answered with a 7-0 stretch that pushed their advantage to 14, 75-61, with 12:02 remaining. The lead kept growing as Alabama was just having fun and shooting logo 3s, getting five straight makes beyond the arc. Two of them came from Sears as the Crimson Tide stretched their lead to 21, 97-76, with under eight minutes left.

Sears made his 10th 3-pointer to get Alabama to 100 points with still 6:26 left in the game.

Alabama (28-8) will play the winner of the second Sweet 16 game in Newark, No. 1 seed Duke, for the East Regional title on Saturday, which earns that winner a trip to the Final Four in San Antonio, Texas, next week. The Blue Devils held off No. 4 Arizona 100-93 in the late game on Thursday.

BYU finishes the season with a 26-10 record.

“We felt like we made a little dent (to start the second half) and started going the other way,” Young said. “They just kept it going. I’m not the type of person that just says oh, they shot it unbelievable, nothing we could do. I was disappointed in myself and our staff that we couldn’t put our players in a better position to find answers, but they made the plays and we didn’t. Kudos goes to those guys.

“That’s a really good basketball team. I mean, it was an all-time night for them. It felt like there was nothing we could do at times. But I’m just proud of the way our guys kept staying with it. We had our chances despite the incredible shot making.”