The Grand Canyon Antelopes take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. Check out our Men's March Madness odds series for our Grand Canyon Alabama prediction and pick. Find how to watch Grand Canyon Alabama.
Grand Canyon is not only returning to the NCAA Tournament this year; the Antelopes have managed to do some damage and score a program-boosting win. They knocked off No. 5 seed Saint Mary's in a decisive victory. It wasn't a blowout, but it wasn't razor-close, either. Grand Canyon led by double-digits midway through the second half, allowed Saint Mary's to get within five points, but then pulled away in the final minutes to eliminate the West Coast Conference champions in a battle of notable Western college basketball mid-majors. Grand Canyon might have been the No. 12 seed going up against No. 5, but the 12 seed was more athletic and had higher-end players than the fifth seed. The Antelopes had levels of physicality and springy legs Saint Mary's — a disciplined and organized team but not a high-flying team — could not keep pace with. It was yet another instance of a lower seed having more material than a higher seed in March Madness.
The Grand Canyon win sets up a fascinating battle. GCU head coach Bryce Drew used to coach in the SEC at Vanderbilt. He will now go up against an SEC team from Alabama and head coach Nate Oats. Alabama has been very consistent and good under Oats, who — if John Calipari is fired by Kentucky — could become the top candidate to go to Lexington, though Baylor coach Scott Drew might be the one candidate ahead of him on the list. It will be fascinating to see how Oats fares against Bryce Drew, a former SEC coach who has repaired his career.
Here are the Grand Canyon-Alabama Men's March Madness odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Men's March Madness Odds: Grand Canyon-Alabama Odds
Grand Canyon Antelopes: +6.5 (-115)
Alabama Crimson Tide: -6.5 (-105)
Over: 169.5 (-115)
Under: 169.5 (-105)
How To Watch Grand Canyon vs Alabama
Time: 7:10 pm ET / 4:10 pm PT
TV: TBS
Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Grand Canyon Could Cover the Spread
The Antelopes are 30-4. They are a winning team, a lot like James Madison (which has lost just three times). Winning teams know how to win. They know how to handle their business. They know how to game-plan for opponents. They know how to take away opponents' strengths. They know how to exploit opponents' weaknesses. Also keep in mind here that Grand Canyon brought a large group of its very vocal and supportive fans to Spokane. Alabama won't have as many fans in the building. GCU will have a partisan crowd at its back. Alabama is a good team, but it does not have the consistent defense needed to establish a large margin of victory. GCU should at least keep this game close.
Why Alabama Could Cover the Spread
This is a very different game compared to what Grand Canyon had versus Saint Mary's on Friday. Saint Mary's is not as athletic as GCU. Alabama, on the other hand, is much more athletic than Saint Mary's and will be a lot harder for Grand Canyon to keep up with. Alabama has problems which will be more difficult for GCU to solve.
Final Grand Canyon-Alabama Prediction & Pick
Alabama might win, but the over-under is projected to have a game in the 80s. Grand Canyon will probably slow the game down to the point where the game will be in the high 70s. The under is a good play here.
Final Grand Canyon-Alabama Prediction & Pick: Under 169.5
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