The No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide (15-2) visit the Vanderbilt Commodores (9-8) on Tuesday night. Action tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET. Below we continue our College Basketball odds series with an Alabama-Vanderbilt prediction, pick, and how to watch.
Alabama has won six games in a row and sits at 5-0 and in first place in the SEC. The Crimson Tide covered 63% of their games while 56% went over the projected point total. Vanderbilt has lost two of their last three games but did upset Arkansas to improve to 2-2 and move up to seventh place in the SEC. The Commodores covered 47% of their games while 59% went over. Vanderbilt has covered four games in a row against Alabama dating back to 2020.
Here are the Alabama-Vanderbilt college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Alabama-Vanderbilt Odds
Alabama: -8.5 (-105)
Vanderbilt: +8.5 (-115)
Over: 154.5 (-106)
Under: 154.5 (-114)
How To Watch Alabama vs. Vanderbilt
TV: SEC Network
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET/ 5:30 p.m. PT
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Alabama Could Cover The Spread
Alabama has quickly established itself as the cream of the crop in the SEC. The Crimson Tide have lost just two games this season – to No. 6 Gonzaga and No. 15 UConn. Alabama fares very well in the advanced metrics as they rank No. 4 in KenPom and No. 3 in NET. As such, they've compiled a perfect 10-0 record in Quads 2, 3, and 4. Their five Quad 1 wins are tied for the second-most in the country. Alabama is currently projected to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Crimson Tide feature one of the most explosive offenses in the country as they rank fourth in scoring (84.4 PPG). Alabama loves the three-ball as they rank sixth in made threes per game (10.4 3PM/Game). They also do a great job getting to the free-throw line, ranking sixth in made free throws per game (18.3 FTM/Game). Savvy live bettors can take advantage of their incredible second-half numbers as they average the most second-half points in the country (44.5 PPG). Finally, the Crimson Tide are a dominant rebounding team who lead the country in rebounds per game (45.9 RPG) and rank 14th in rebound rate (54.8%).
Offensively, Alabama relies on two primary scorers to fuel their high-powered offense. They roster arguably the best freshman in the country in Brandon Miller. Miller is a favorite for SEC Player of the Year as he leads the conference in scoring (19.5 PPG) while ranking fourth in rebounding (8.2 RPG). He is coming off one of his best games of the season when he scored 31 points and pulled down nine rebounds in their blowout win over LSU.
Miller doesn't do it all by himself, however, as junior guard Mark Sears averages 15.2 PPG. The Ohio transfer has excelled in his first season in the SEC thanks to his incredible outside shooting. Sears averages 2.4 made threes per game while knocking them down at a 41% clip. After a shaky start, Sears has really come into his own during conference play and has scored 16+ points in four of their five SEC games.
Why Vanderbilt Could Cover The Spread
Vanderbilt has had an up-and-down season and hasn't been able to string together much sustained success. That being said, the Commodores just took down then-15th-ranked Arkansas and have covered three of their four conference games. However, the advanced metrics do not favor the Commodores as they rank No. 88 in KenPom and No. 91 in NET. Vanderbilt has gone just 2-7 in Quad 1 and 2 matchups while going 7-1 in Quad 3 and 4 affairs. However, they are not currently projected to make the NCAA Tournament.
If Vanderbilt is going to cover tonight it will likely be thanks to their outside shooting and ability to control the paint. The Commodores rank 79th in threes per game (8.2 3PM/Game) but used 10 triples to down Arkansas last weekend. They could have an advantage on the offensive glass as they rank 43rd in offensive rebounding (10.5 ORPG) while ‘Bama ranks 300th in offensive rebounds allowed (9.7 Opp. ORPG). The Commodores also do a great job protecting the rim as they rank in the top 20 in blocks (5.3 BPG).
Those blocks come primarily from senior Liam Robbins. The 7'0″ big man ranks second in the SEC in blocks, averaging 2.9 BPG. He leads his own team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 13.2 PPG and 5.9 RPG. That being said, he came off the bench in their win over Arkansas. While he was still productive, Vandy turned to junior guard Tyrin Lawrence to lead the way on offense. Lawrence scored 22 points in their upset and will likely need to have another strong performance if they want to cover tonight.
Final Alabama-Vanderbilt Prediction & Pick
Vanderbilt has performed well of late and coming off their biggest win of the season, I expect them to continue their recent run of success against Alabama.
Final Alabama-Vanderbilt Prediction & Pick: Vanderbilt +8.5 (-115)
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