The Vanderbilt Commodores take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. Our college basketball odds series has our Vanderbilt-Alabama prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Vanderbilt Alabama.
The Alabama Crimson Tide suffered the kind of loss that a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament generally doesn't absorb. Alabama was ranked No. 2 this past Saturday, heading into its Big 12-SEC Challenge game against the Oklahoma Sooners, who were unranked (and are still unranked). Yet, the Crimson Tide not only lost; they lost by 24 points, 93-69. They were completely blown out of the water and showed absolutely nothing against the bubble-hugging Sooners, who are well below .500 in Big 12 Conference games but had no problems in crushing Nate Oats' team. This was not a game, by the way, in which it was somewhat close for a good portion of the proceedings, only for Oklahoma to make a late run and create the impression that the game was more lopsided than it actually was. Nope. Oklahoma consistently led by a very large margin, holding a lead of 20 points or more for the balance of the second half. It was one-way traffic. When a top-two team loses by 24 to an unranked opponent, that is going to get people talking. Now we get to see how Alabama responds.
Here are the Vanderbilt-Alabama college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel:
College Basketball Odds: Vanderbilt-Alabama Odds
Vanderbilt Commodores: +15.5 (-110)
Alabama Crimson Tide: -15.5 (-110)
Over: 155.5 (-115)
Under: 155.5 (-105)
How To Watch Vanderbilt vs. Alabama
TV: SEC Network
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET, 5:30 p.m. PT
*Watch Vanderbilt-Alabama LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why Vanderbilt Could Cover The Spread
Well, you saw what can happen when Alabama plays poorly. If Alabama does not get fast-break baskets and does not hit 3-pointers, a good team — or even a mediocre team such as Vanderbilt — can focus on packing the paint, making sure the Tide doesn't increase the pace of play, and shortening the game with fewer overall possessions. Alabama was 6 of 22 on 3-pointers against Oklahoma. Nate Oats loves to have his teams shoot lots of 3-pointers, but when those 3-pointers don't fall — as was the case against Oklahoma — Alabama becomes very vulnerable because it relies so much on a combination of 3-pointers and easy baskets for its scoring production. It's pretty simple: If Vanderbilt doesn't commit live-ball turnovers which feed the Alabama fast break, and if Alabama doesn't make a reasonable percentage of 3-pointers, Vanderbilt can keep this game very close. The spread is a very large 15.5 points, so the idea that VU can cover is hardly far-fetched, given what we saw from Bama versus Oklahoma on Saturday.
Why Alabama Could Cover The Spread
The Crimson Tide played an absolutely horrible game against Oklahoma. Everyone saw it. Everyone knows it. Coach Nate Oats doesn't really have a difficult job in this game. His players know they were awful. If they have any pride and dignity, they will play a very good basketball game against Vanderbilt. If Alabama — which is orders of magnitude better than Vanderbilt — plays a really good game, it will cover. If Alabama plays a great game, it will win by 30. Alabama is going to want to make a statement as a possible No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Vanderbilt does not have the resources or strength to withstand a top-quality Bama effort.
Final Vanderbilt-Alabama Prediction & Pick
The spread is massive, so even though Alabama will be intent on crushing Vanderbilt, the Commodores can probably keep this game close enough to cover. Consider a live-bet play more than betting on the pregame spread, however. You might find better odds that way.
Final Vanderbilt-Alabama Prediction & Pick: Vanderbilt +15.5
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