The Final Four spot out of the West Region is on the line as Clemson faces Alabama. It is time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Clemson-Alabama prediction, pick, and how to watch.
Clemson comes into the game in a familiar spot, as an underdog. It started underdogs to the 11-seed New Mexico. Clemson came in as a two-point underdog to the lower seed but would dominate the game. They built a 24-point half-time lead and would go on to win 77-56. In game two, Clemson would face a three-seed in Baylor. Once again, Clemson was the underdog, being 4.5-point dogs going into the game. Once again, Clemson would dominate. Clemson took the lead less than four minutes into the game and never gave it back. Baylor would get within three late, but Clemson would win 72-64. They were underdogs once again to Arizona, the two seed. Clemson held a six-point lead at the half, but Arizona would come back and tie the game up. With just under ten minutes left, Clemson and Arizona were tied, but Clemson went on a 9-2 run to open up a lead. They would hold on to win 77-72.
Meanwhile, Alabama comes in off a close game with North Carolina. In the first weekend, it started with a high-scoring win over College of Charleston, as Alabama won 109-96. Then, thye would face the 12-seed Grand Canyon University. Grand Canyon had a lead with six minutes left to play, but Alabama ended the game on a 17-3 run to win 72-61. Last time out, in the Sweet Sixteen, it was a game against North Carolina. North Carolina finished the first half strong, leading 54-46 at the half. The second half would be back and forth though, with multiple lead changes. Alabama had the lead, but North Carolina had the shot to tie it. It would not come to fruition for them though, as Alabama won 89-87.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
March Madness Odds: Clemson-Alabama Odds
Clemson: +3.5 (-115)
Moneyline: +132
Alabama: -3.5 (-105)
Moneyline: -160
Over: 164.5 (-110)
Under: 164.5 (-110)
How to Watch March Madness
Time: 8:49 PM ET/ 5:49 PM PT
TV: TBS
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Clemson Will Cover The Spread/Win
Clemson sits 19th in the nation in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings this year. They have been solid on offense, sitting 24th in offensive efficiency, and are 33rd in defensive efficiency. Clemson is 60th in the nation in points per game this year, while sitting 64th in assists per game and 32nd in assists to turnover ratio. PJ Hall leads the offense this year. He averages 18.4 points per game this year while hitting shooting 49.0 percent from the field. Joseph Girard III comes in with 15.0 points per game, while he is shooting 42.6 percent from the field this year. Rounding out the top scorers is Chase Hunter. He comes in with 12.9 points per game this year.
Clemson is not the best rebounding team in the nation this year. They are 98th in the nation in rebounding this year, but they are 39th in the nation in defensive rebounding rate this year. PJ Hall has been solid in the rebounding game, with 6.5 rebounds per game. This is second on the team this year. The leader is Ian Schieffellin. He leads the team with 9.4 rebounds per game. Just over six of those rebounds per game come from the defensive side of the court while over three on offensive rebounds per game.
Clemson is 118th in the nation in points allowed per game on defense this year. PJ Hall leads the team on defense. He comes into the game with 1.5 blocks per game with .8 steals per game this year. Clemson has just 4.55 steals per game this year, but with just 10.2 turnovers per game, it results in a solid turnover margin for Clemson.
Why Alabama Will Cover The Spread/Win
Alabama is ranked 14th in the nation in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings. They are ranked fourth in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency this year but sit 104th in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency. Alabama sits first in the nation in points per game this year, while sitting 11th in the nation in effective field goal percentage and fourth in shooting efficiency. Mark Sears leads the team on offense this year. He has 21.4 points per game, while he is shooting 50.6 percent this year, and 42.9 percent from three-point range. Further, Sears is second on the team in assists with 4.1 per game. Meanwhile, Aaron Estrada is second on the team in points this year, with 13.5 points per game, while he leads the team with 4.7 assists per game this year. Rounding out the top scorers are Grant Nelson and Rylan Griffen. Nelson comes in with 11.8 points per game on the season, while Griffen comes in with 11.2 points per game.
Alabama is 11th in the nation in rebounds per game this year. They are also 21st in the nation in offensive rebounding rate this year, while sitting 256th in defensive rebounding rate. Grant Nelson comes in leading the way in rebounding this year. He has 5.6 rebounds per game this year, while Estrada also has 5.4 rebounds per game this year. Further, two other players come into the game with over four rebounds per game this year.
Alabama is 348th in the nation in opponent points per game this year, but they are 106th in opponent effective field goal percentage. Estrada and Sears lead the way here as well. Sears leads the team with 1.7 steals per game, while Estrada has 1.6 per game. Meanwhile, Grant Nelson has 1.5 blocks per game this year.
Final Clemson-Alabama Prediction & Pick
This game will come down to the shooting from Alabama. Clemson has been great at keeping games close in the tournament and now has pulled three straight upsets. They have the combination of both offense and defense to keep this close again. Further, they have a strong enough offense, combined with the weak Alabama defense to win this game. Still, the Alabama offense is one of the best in the nation. If Alabama does not shoot well, this will be a tight game. If they do shoot well, they will be able to run up the score. Regardless of the situation, expect plenty of points in this one. On the spread, the lean would be towards Clemson, but the best play in this game is on the over.
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Final Clemson-Alabama Prediction & Pick: Over 164.5 (-110)
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