The Clemson Tigers take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Clemson Alabama prediction and pick. Find how to watch Clemson Alabama.

The Alabama Crimson Tide were a No. 1 seed last season in the NCAA Tournament. They weren't able to make the program's first Final Four. They lost to San Diego State in the Sweet 16. This season's Alabama team is nowhere near last season's group, but one of the always-interesting aspects of college basketball is that the best team doesn't always win the NCAA Tournament. Schools can produce great teams which get eliminated early in March Madness and then create less talented teams which get hot in March and do something special. As an example, Arizona had No. 1 seeds several times under former coach Lute Olson, but it was a young No. 4 seed in 1997 which won the school's first college basketball national championship. Maybe this Alabama team — while unlikely to be a top-three seed in March of 2024 — can become the team which gets Alabama to the Final Four.

Clemson is a very interesting team. Coach Brad Brownell seems to be near the hot seat almost every year. He might not be on the hot seat, but the discussion is never far away. The precariousness of Clemson basketball has been on display this season in a very close win over UAB and a 17-point comeback win over Davidson. Clemson has been volatile in the games it has played, but it has managed to win them. The Tigers have looked ugly and great in the same game multiple times this season. Which is the “real” Clemson? We might learn more in this game against Alabama.

Here are the Clemson-Alabama College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Basketball Odds: Clemson-Alabama Odds

Clemson Tigers: +9.5 (-118)

Alabama Crimson Tide: -9.5 (-104)

Over: 159.5 (-105)

Under: 159.5 (-115)

How To Watch Clemson vs Alabama

Time: 9:30 pm ET / 6:30 pm PT

TV: ESPN2

Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why Clemson Could Cover the Spread

The Tigers could be a good team. We say “could be” because we don't know for sure. However, there's a definite case to be made that Clemson is solid and NCAA Tournament-worthy. The Tigers have wins over UAB, Davidson, and Boise State. Those are all programs which have had success in recent seasons. What's harder to figure out is whether those schools are good this season. It might take some time to unearth whether those schools are good this season, but let's be clear: Clemson has not been beating cupcake opponents. It has beaten teams which had reason to think they could beat Clemson head-to-head, but ultimately failed to do so. The Tigers have answered a lot of challenges, and that's the kind of reality which earns some trust this early in a season.

We also have to note that Alabama's defense has looked bad in recent games. The Crimson Tide's defense got shredded by both Ohio State and Oregon in a couple of neutral-site games over the Thanksgiving weekend. Alabama beat Oregon but lost to OSU. Clemson's offense has a more-than-reasonable chance of scoring a lot against the Bama defense.

Why Alabama Could Cover the Spread

The Crimson Tide scored 99 points in their win over Oregon. Nate Oats got the 3-point shooting and overall offensive production he expects from his team in that game. If that level of offense carries over into this game, Alabama has the firepower to not only win, but cover.

Final Clemson-Alabama Prediction & Pick

Alabama will probably win the game, but that's a large spread for a team whose defense has not been good. Stay away from this game.

Final Clemson-Alabama Prediction & Pick: Alabama -9.5