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It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a South Dakota State-Alabama prediction and pick. Find out how to watch South Dakota State-Alabama.
The Alabama Crimson Tide are willing to play tough opponents. Coach Nate Oats wants it that way. Alabama has taken on all comers, facing Illinois, Houston, Oregon, Creighton, North Carolina, and Purdue, all before Christmas Day. Alabama is coming off its first-ever Final Four season, but you might remember that Alabama was not expected to make the Final Four in 2024. The Crimson Tide were a No. 4 seed. They beat No. 1 seed North Carolina in the Sweet 16 and then were fortunate to play No. 6 Clemson instead of second-seeded Arizona in the Elite Eight. Alabama had a great NCAA Tournament in 2024 but not a great regular season. This Alabama team is believed to be better than last season's team. The ceiling should be high for this group, so it makes sense that Oats wanted to test his players against a range of formidable opponents.
Alabama is — at least according to the current rankings — one of the top 10 teams in the country. The scary part for Alabama is that Mark Sears, its fearless and talented guard, has not played his best basketball on a consistent basis. Fears was Alabama's best player on the floor at the 2024 Final Four in Glendale, Arizona, this past April. He kept Alabama competitive against eventual national champion UConn. When Sears is at his best, Alabama becomes an extremely difficult team to beat, but when Sears is ordinary, Alabama becomes a lot more vulnerable. Oats' job is to make sure he gets the most out of Sears on a regular basis. This will be a central need for the Crimson Tide when they begin play in the SEC in January. The SEC figures to get at least 10 and maybe as many as 13 or even 14 teams in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The SEC has been incredibly deep, balanced, successful, and disciplined in nonconference play. The league has not stumbled very many times. It has won virtually all the games it is supposed to win and has been able to win a lot of clashes against power conference opponents, especially those from the ACC. Alabama will want to make sure it has rhythm, cohesion and continuity when it enters SEC play, so this game is a needed tune-up for a team with Final Four aspirations.
Here are the South Dakota State-Alabama College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: South Dakota State-Alabama Odds
South Dakota State: +22.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +2000
Alabama: -22.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -7000
Over: 168.5 (-115)
Under: 168.5 (-105)
How to Watch South Dakota State vs Alabama
Time: 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN Plus
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why South Dakota State Will Cover The Spread/Win
This is a very large spread. Alabama might be caught looking ahead to SEC games just around the corner. After a week off during the Christmas break, Alabama might be sluggish and a little sleepy for a Sunday afternoon game against a low-profile opponent. As long as Alabama jogs through a 10- or 12-minute portion of this game — in which it does not outscore South Dakota State by more than a point or two — it will be hard for the Crimson Tide to cover this big number.
Why Alabama Will Cover The Spread/Win
The spread is 22.5, not a 30- or 35-point spread. It is a lot more reachable than some of the other astronomical spreads you might see this weekend in cupcake games. If Alabama leads by 12 to 15 points at halftime, it should be able to cover the spread in the second half without too much of a problem.
Final South Dakota State-Alabama Prediction & Pick
Our lean is to Alabama, but we advise you to wait for a live, in-game play.
Final South Dakota State-Alabama Prediction & Pick: Alabama -22.5
