The Texas A&M-CC Islanders take on the Alabama Crimson Tide. Our March Madness odds series has our Texas A&M-CC Alabama prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Texas A&M-CC Alabama.

The SEC basketball season led to the coronation of Alabama as the conference champion. Alabama dominated the SEC, losing only twice in the conference all season. The Crimson Tide also won on the road at Houston — another No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament — in nonconference play. They stacked together a lot of nonconference wins on top of their SEC wins and forged a great portfolio. The Tide were so good and so consistent this season that they earned a No. 1 seed for the first time in the history of Alabama basketball.

Alabama has a very good team and a legitimate Final Four and national championship contender. Yet, when Alabama was a No. 2 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, the Tide ran out of steam in the Sweet 16 against UCLA. Last year, Alabama didn't even get out of the first round against Notre Dame. The Crimson Tide are hugely skilled — no one doubts that — but they shoot a lot of 3-point shots, which invites the obvious possibility that in a single-elimination tournament, they might run cold and not score nearly enough to win. We will see if Alabama can pass the test this March and gain the first Final Four in program history.

Here are the Texas A&M-CC Alabama March Madness odds, courtesy of FanDuel:

March Madness Odds: Texas A&M-CC Alabama Odds

Texas A&M-CC Islanders: +23.5 (-102)

Alabama Crimson Tide: -23.5 (-120)

Over: 155.5 (-110)

Under: 155.5 (-110)

How To Watch Texas A&M-CC vs. Alabama

TV: CBS

Stream: CBSSports.com, FuboTV

Time: 2:45 p.m. ET, 11:45 a.m. PT

*Watch Texas A&M-CC Alabama LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*

Why Texas A&M-CC Could Cover The Spread

Alabama has continued to win in the games since the controversial Brandon Miller story gained national headlines, but the Crimson Tide have gotten off to slow starts in several games since that story became a national point of discussion. It is undeniable that distractions surround Alabama and that this team will have to deal with intense media scrutiny during the 2023 NCAA Tournament. That's not really a basketball plot point; it's a media plot point with off-court dimensions. Yet, it is connected to human nature. Will a group of young athletes be able to focus fully on the task at hand? It's a perfectly natural question to ask, and it's exactly why Texas A&M-Corpus Christi can keep this game close for at least 25 minutes. If the game is a seven- or eight-point game midway through the second half, even a quick 10-2 Alabama run would boost the margin of victory for the Tide to just 15 to 18 points. Then, when the game gets to garbage time in the final few minutes, Alabama can rest its starters to prepare for the Saturday Round of 32 game. Texas A&M-CC can gain a few points in those final minutes.

Why Alabama Could Cover The Spread

Even if the Tide are distracted, they are still the most talented team in the field, especially since Houston is dealing with an injury to star performer Marcus Sasser. Kansas has the best coach in the NCAA Tournament, Bill Self, but Alabama has the elite talent which can go all the way and win the national title. Brandon Miller's off-court controversy is an undeniable distraction, but strictly in terms of his basketball acumen, he might be the best player in the country, better than Zach Edey of Purdue or Trayce Jackson-Davis of Indiana. He is a gifted basketball player, and no basketball analyst would disagree. Alabama can run Texas A&M-CC out of the building with its top-end talent.

Final Texas A&M-CC Alabama Prediction & Pick

Alabama is simply 100 times better than Texas A&M-CC. Take Alabama, regardless of the distractions which might exist.

Final Texas A&M-CC Alabama Prediction & Pick: Alabama -23.5