SPOKANE, Washington — The way Alabama basketball greeted Mark Sears said it all.

As the Crimson Tide walked back to the bench during an early second-half timeout, Sears was one of the last to arrive. Smiles and high-fives awaited him. It had the feel of a conquering hero returning home.

The Crimson Tide's leader had just scored five points in about 15 seconds. A triple on one possession preceded a layup the next.

Those points putting Alabama up 20 over Charleston were just one small moment in a game of many in which Sears dominated. His efforts on both ends of the court set the tone Friday for the No. 4 seed Crimson Tide as it beat the No. 13 seed Cougars 109-96 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Sears left no doubt he is Alabama's motor. As he goes, so too will the Crimson Tide (22-11). That means if he stays hot in March Madness, Alabama should keep winning.

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"When he’s making his plays and everything, it gets everybody else going," guard Aaron Estrada said. "Just getting buckets, coming back down getting stops. … He’s usually guarding the point guard on the other team, so when we see him picking up full court, trying to really get a stop, it just pushes us to go even harder."

His 30 points against Charleston are an easy number to see Sears' value. He led all scorers and became the fifth Alabama player all-time to reach that number in an NCAA Tournament game. His offense was vital as he made 9 of 11 free throws and tallied five assists. But his defense might have been even more important against Charleston.

He was a key part of Alabama holding the Cougars to .895 points per possession in the first half. Alabama coach Nate Oats said he thought Sears caused disruptions on defense.

That wasn't by accident. Sears entered the NCAA Tournament with intention.

"It’s March, and I really wanted to win," Sears told The Tuscaloosa News. "I feel like everybody is saying stuff about our defense. I took it personal. I really took it personal, and I wanted to play with energy and effort, and I feel like I did that."

Offense has seldom been an issue for Sears, a consensus second-team All-American, or for Alabama. Defense has been lacking, however. Over the past month heading into the NCAA Tournament, Alabama ranked 240th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency, per BartTorvik. Only three teams in the NCAA Tournament bracket ranked lower: No. 15 seed Long Beach State, No. 16 seed Howard and No. 16 seed Stetson.

Sears knew it would take a mentality shift to change that, so that's what he did. He entered with a mindset of wanting to get stops. That's all he changed, he said.

"Seeing what happened to Auburn last game, I didn't want that to happen to us," Sears said. "I just really wanted to get stops, and I feel like our guys really came prepared and got stops and made a big run."

They followed his lead. A rising Sears lifts all Alabama boats.

"When our leader is playing as hard as he was for large parts of tonight, our defense is pretty good," Oats said. "We need to be that way every game for the rest of the year."

Do that, and Alabama could very well make a run in March Madness. If Sears continues to lead the way, it's going to quickly become Mark's Madness.

Nick Kelly is the Alabama beat writer for The Tuscaloosa News, part of the USA TODAY Network, and he covers Alabama football and men's basketball. Reach him at nkelly@gannett.com or follow him @_NickKelly on X, the social media app formerly known as Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: As Mark Sears goes, so will Alabama basketball in March Madness