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The Houston Cougars are set to face the Alabama Crimson Tide this weekend. Check out our college basketball odds series, which includes our Houston Alabama prediction, odds, and pick.
Houston is coming off a Final Four run last season. Alabama won the SEC regular-season and tournament championships. Both teams were No. 2 seeds in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, adding to the luster of this matchup, which will be a late-night Saturday tip. Why the late start? Football always comes first at Alabama, and Bryce Young is expected to win the Heisman Trophy earlier in the evening. Alabama is hoping to throw a party and then get after it on the hardwood against another school with big-time basketball aspirations.
Houston has notched some solid wins, but they might not have as much value as previously thought. Heading into the season, wins over Virginia, Butler and Oregon figured to carry a lot of weight, but Virginia and Oregon have been surprisingly bad. Butler has been decent, but it remains that Houston still needs a signature win for NCAA seeding purposes. The people who study college basketball odds would tell you that this would be a huge signature win for coach Kelvin Sampson's Cougars. Keep that in mind when making a Houston Alabama prediction.
Alabama has picked up where it left off last season. Coach Nate Oats is quickly becoming the best coach in Alabama basketball history. He isn't there yet, but he is creating a trajectory consistent with a rise to the top of the mountain in Tuscaloosa. Alabama has never made the Final Four and never been a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Last season's team won the SEC double (regular-season and tournament titles) and got a No. 2 seed, going to the Sweet 16. No Alabama basketball team has eclipsed all of those achievements in the same season, though the 1987 team coached by Wimp Sanderson matched all of those feats.
The people who follow the Houston Alabama odds and are thinking about a Houston Alabama pick are aware that Nate Oats wears plaid jackets as a tribute to Wimp Sanderson, who wore those coats in his time at Bama. This game against Houston is yet another major national test for the Crimson Tide, who beat Gonzaga in Seattle a week ago. If Bama can stack together consecutive wins over heavyweights, The Tide will become a trendy Final Four pick for the second straight season. Alabama is more than just a football school.
Here’s how the bookmakers have set the odds:
College Basketball odds: Houston-Alabama Odds
Houston: +1.5 (-110)
Alabama: -1.5 (-110)
Over: 143.5 (-115)
Under: 143.5 (-105)
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Why Houston Could Cover the Spread
The Cougars are a Kelvin Sampson team. What does that mean? Aggressive defense, tenacious rebounding, constant energy, and very few lulls. Houston always makes the effort plays which can turn the tide in a close game. If Houston makes a reasonable percentage of 3-pointers, the Cougars become extremely hard to beat. Think about this when you make a Houston Alabama prediction.
Why Alabama Could Cover the Spread
The Tide have an identity which is very similar to Houston's. Oats emphasizes a pressure defense which creates havoc and disruption for opponents. If there is a difference between Kelvin Sampson and Nate Oats, it is that Oats values a faster tempo and is more willing to play games in the 80s. Sampson generally likes his teams to play games in the 60s. This doesn't mean Alabama can't win a fistfight, however. Relying on defense gives the Crimson Tide more than one way to win a game. That's part of the calculus in a Houston Alabama pick.
Final Houston-Alabama Prediction & Pick
Houston has beaten decent teams. Alabama has beaten Gonzaga, and moreover, the Tide won by nine points — comfortably — in Seattle. That earns our respect. Take the Tide in this one.
Final Houston-Alabama Pick: Alabama -1.5
