The Charleston Cougars take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. Check out our Men's March Madness odds series for our Charleston Alabama prediction and pick. Find how to watch Charleston Alabama.
The Alabama Crimson Tide are a very good team. They finished higher in the SEC standings than most people expected they would. Coach Nate Oats once again proved why he is one of the better coaches in the SEC and, for that matter, the country. Alabama is unquestionably a top-tier program in the SEC, certainly one of the four best programs in the conference and a school which has competed for conference championships and high NCAA Tournament seeds in recent years. Yet, for all the achievements, there is one obvious and big gap in the Alabama trophy case: a regional championship and a Final Four trip. Alabama is still waiting for its first Final Four appearance. The Crimson Tide have been knocked out in the Sweet 16 twice in the past three years, last year as a No. 1 seed. It is hard enough to make the Final Four as a No. 1 or No. 2 seed; Alabama had those seeds in recent trips to March Madness (No. 1 last year, No. 2 in 2021) and still couldn't break through. This year Alabama is a No. 4 seed, and a lot of people will doubt the Tide's ability to make a deep run in the bracket.
Alabama's defense has been spotty this season. If you saw the Tide get shredded by Kentucky in Rupp Arena, you know this. Florida also moved very smoothly through the Tide in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals. It was not the way Oats and his team hoped to enter the NCAA Tournament. We will see how tough Alabama is in this high-pressure setting. This team needs to regroup after being shoved around late in the season.
Here are the Charleston-Alabama Men's March Madness odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Men's March Madness Odds: Charleston-Alabama Odds
Charleston Cougars: +9.5 (-105)
Alabama Crimson Tide: -9.5 (-115)
Over: 173.5 (-110)
Under: 173.5 (-110)
How To Watch Charleston vs Alabama
Time: 7:35 pm ET / 4:35 pm PT
TV: TruTV
Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Charleston Could Cover the Spread
The Alabama defense is such a big question mark. National championship and Final Four teams don't have to have the very best defenses in the country, but they do need to be fundamentally good and consistent. Bama would not rate as a team with a consistently strong defense. Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee, and other good teams in the SEC have been able to post high point totals against Alabama. It's true that the Tide can score with anyone, but it raises the point that if Alabama isn't hitting 3-pointers and its defense is not on point, the team suddenly has a very small margin for error, and with the NCAA Tournament magnifying the value of each possession, Alabama could find itself in trouble in a hurry against Charleston. The spread is almost a double-digit spread. Charleston should be able to score enough to keep this game close all the way.
Why Alabama Could Cover the Spread
The Tide will be motivated after their SEC Tournament clunker against Florida. Expect this team to come busting out of the gate with a lot of energy. Alabama's athleticism will overwhelm Charleston.
Final Charleston-Alabama Prediction & Pick
The weakness of Alabama's defense makes Charleston a very strong spread pick. Bama might win outright, but Charleston will keep this game close.
Final Charleston-Alabama Prediction & Pick: Charleston +9.5
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