Subscribe
Follow Us
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are set to face the Alabama Crimson Tide. Check out our March Madness odds series, which includes our Notre Dame Alabama prediction, odds, and pick.
*To claim, new users need to register, make a first-time deposit, and then simply place their first real-money wager on FanDuel Sportsbook on any March Madness game during the tournament. All winning bets will be fulfilled within 72 hours if they win.*
Friday will be a fascinating day at the NCAA Tournament. Football schools will be playing each other in games which will reshape the March Madness odds. While the USC Trojans and Miami Hurricanes play one first-round game, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Alabama Crimson Tide will play in another game. There will be some overlap between the two contests, spicing up first-round Friday at the Big Dance.
Notre Dame is coming off a double-overtime victory over Rutgers in the First Four in Dayton. Notre Dame prevailed despite the big shotmaking of Rutgers star Ron Harper Jr. The Irish used their own big shotmaking from Paul Atkinson, who carried coach Mike Brey's team to its first March win since 2017. Not a whole lot was expected from this Notre Dame roster. Many college basketball analysts think this group is not especially talented. Yet, Brey has been able to get the pieces to fit together. The Irish are cohesive and disciplined, and that's what enabled them to band together when things got especially tough against Rutgers.
When thinking about a Notre Dame Alabama prediction, it will be easy to pick against the Irish because they played a very long game and now have to fly across the country to play this game against the rested Crimson Tide. It is not a situation which sets up well for Notre Dame, and it's hard to ignore that.
However, Alabama has shown that while it has the ability to beat top teams — Baylor, Tennessee, Gonzaga, Houston, and others — the Tide can lose in favorable situations. They just lost an SEC Tournament early-round game to Vanderbilt. They have lost to Georgia and Missouri. Alabama is not a safe pick here, and the Tide are not a trustworthy team. At their best, they are great, but at their worst, they can be really bad. This is part of the larger picture surrounding a Notre Dame Alabama pick.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Notre Dame-Alabama odds:
March Madness Odds: Notre Dame-Alabama Odds
Notre Dame: +4 (-110)
Alabama: -4 (-110)
Over: 152 (-110)
Under: 152 (-110)
*Watch College Sports LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)
Why Notre Dame Could Cover the Spread
The Irish are very confident after getting past Rutgers. They are playing one of the most erratic and unpredictable teams in the country. Alabama has not shot the 3-pointer well this season, and the Tide can't handle prosperity. Ignore the travel and logistical problems facing Notre Dame. Alabama is unreliable.
Why Alabama Could Cover the Spread
The Crimson Tide are very inconsistent, but they take big moments seriously. This is how they beat Gonzaga and Baylor and Tennessee and Houston. If the Tide take a team and a moment seriously, they play great.
Final Notre Dame-Alabama Prediction & Pick
It is not easy to predict any Alabama game, but the sense here is that the Crimson Tide will take Notre Dame very seriously and play up to their potential. Just be warned: Alabama is not trustworthy. Games feel like a flip of the coin.
Final Notre Dame-Alabama Pick: Alabama -4
