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The Alabama Crimson Tide are set to face the Auburn Tigers. Check out our college basketball odds series, which includes our Alabama Auburn prediction, odds, and pick.
It is not hyperbole at all to say that Alabama is the most volatile and unpredictable team in the country, at least if measured by the degree of variance between the Crimson Tide’s best and worst versions of their basketball identity. College basketball odds evaluators know this.
Alabama at its best is a national championship contender. The Tide have beaten Houston with Marcus Sasser before the star was lost for the season. Alabama defeated Gonzaga in Seattle by almost 10 points. This past Saturday, Alabama beat Baylor by nine and thoroughly outplayed the reigning national champions. Yet, you can plainly see below that the Tide are not favored in the Alabama Auburn odds. Why?
It’s not hard to figure out. Alabama has lost to Missouri and Georgia and five other opponents, collecting seven losses on the season with a few noticeable face-plants. The Tide haven’t merely lost to good teams; they have lost to a few particularly bad teams, and they have frequently lost in 2022, to the point that their high-end wins won’t get them anywhere close to a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. When contemplating an Alabama Auburn prediction, you have to take that into account.
Auburn is what Alabama had hoped to be this season. The Tigers have lost only one game this season. Bruce Pearl has assembled one of the deepest, most balanced, and dependable rosters in the country. Whether it’s big man Walker Kessler, or future top-three NBA draft pick Jabari Smith, or crunch-time performer K.D. Johnson, or any of several other players, someone always steps up for Auburn. The Tigers don’t run out of gas late in games. They always have a finishing kick, even in their one loss to Connecticut. They are the toughest out in college basketball over the course of 40 full minutes. They have shown a level of resilience Gonzaga, Baylor, and other top teams have not quite matched. When you think about an Alabama Auburn pick, take that point into consideration.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Alabama-Auburn odds:
College Basketball odds: Alabama-Auburn Odds
Alabama: +6 (-110)
Auburn: -6 (-110)
Over: 157 (-110)
Under: 157 (-110)
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Why Alabama Could Cover the Spread
The best version of Alabama can compete with anyone, including No. 1 Auburn. The Tide just beat defending national champion Baylor. They beat Houston, a Final Four team last year. They beat Gonzaga, the runner-up last year. Alabama has beaten three of the four Final Four teams from 2021. That’s excellent! It’s just that the bad version of Bama is so awful … but when the Good Bama shows up, this team is truly elite. It was elite against Baylor just a few days ago. Good Bama will cover, and Good Bama generally emerges against top-tier opponents. Alabama lost to Auburn by only four in the first meeting; another four-point loss means the Tide will cover here in the rematch.
Why Auburn Could Cover the Spread
The Tigers are the best team in the country. Alabama shows up against good teams, yes, but the Crimson Tide are also notoriously inconsistent. Anything less than Bama’s best will get punished by 10 or more points.
Final Alabama-Auburn Prediction & Pick
Good Alabama shows up against elite teams. It’s baffling, but that’s how it goes. Alabama might not win outright, but this will go down to the final minute.
Final Alabama-Auburn Pick: Alabama +6