It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Kentucky-Alabama prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Kentucky Alabama.
The SEC basketball Saturday slate has this early-evening game between Kentucky and Alabama. It’s a game Alabama really needs if it wants to get a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Alabama has strong credentials, and to be sure, the teams battling the Crimson Tide at the top of the SEC are really good. Losing to elite teams is nothing to be ashamed of. However, in order to be a No. 1 seed, a team has to avoid a three-game losing streak. That’s what Alabama will be trying to do in this game. Alabama lost to Auburn and then to Missouri over the past week. Auburn is the No. 1 team in the country and Missouri looks like a top-three seed in the NCAA Tournament. Those are two really good teams. Yet, a team such as Alabama, which made the Final Four last season and has been a projected No. 1 seed for much of this season, expects to win most of those games against quality opposition. Losing two straight, even to high-end opponents, stings and is not the Alabama standard under head coach Nate Oats. Let’s see what this team does when it hosts Kentucky.
Here are the Kentucky-Alabama College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Kentucky-Alabama Odds
Kentucky: +8.5 (-115)
Moneyline: +285
Alabama: -8.5 (-105)
Moneyline: -365
Over: 177.5 (-110)
Under: 177.5 (-110)
How to Watch Kentucky vs Alabama
Time: 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Kentucky Will Cover The Spread/Win
Should Kentucky be an 8.5-point underdog to an Alabama team which just got roasted and toasted by Missouri? Alabama gave up 110 points to the Tigers. Kentucky, say whatever else you want about the Wildcats, can score. Mark Pope has a very potent team with lots of skilled scorers and shooters. Kentucky might lose the game outright, but if it scores 95 points, it will be really hard for this team to not cover the spread. The first meeting between these two teams this season was a five-point game, with Kentucky scoring 97 and giving up 102. If UK scores 97 here, Alabama would need to score 106 to cover the spread, and that is a very unlikely outcome.
Why Alabama Will Cover The Spread/Win
Kentucky has been horrible on defense this season. In Rupp Arena one month ago, Kentucky gave up 102 to Alabama and lost straight up on its home floor. This game is in Tuscaloosa. If Bama was five points better in Lexington, it should be at least 10 to 12 points better at home in Coleman Coliseum.
We also have to deal with the reality that Alabama is just not going to lose three games in a row. This team is too good, too talented, and too driven to allow that to happen. One would have to think that Alabama will take the floor and deliver an authoritative performance. Alabama might not be relentlessly consistent, but when this team does endure a difficult performance — as was the case a few days ago against Missouri — it has historically bounced back and played very well in its next game. This is a great bounce-back spot for Alabama under Nate Oats. It would be very surprising if the Tide didn’t play well here.
Final Kentucky-Alabama Prediction & Pick
Our lean is to Alabama, but the spread is large for a game which could easily become close late in regulation. Wait for a second-half live play if anything becomes available and attractive.
Final Kentucky-Alabama Prediction & Pick: Alabama -8.5
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