The 18th-ranked Missouri Tigers will look to take care of business at home when they host the 10th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in their intriguing SEC showdown of Top 20 national title contenders on Saturday.
With the start of March Madness approximately one month away and both ballclubs looking to secure as high a seed as possible, let’s find out which team is offering the best value against their College Basketball odds in this affair.
College Basketball Betting predictions – No. 10 Alabama at No. 18 Missouri
While these long time SEC rivals started the 2020-21 college hoops season outside of the national rankings, Alabama and Missouri have both exceeded expectations and now have the look of legitimate national championship contenders.
Alabama Crimson Tide (15-4) Vs Missouri Tigers (12-3)
- When: Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021 at 12:00 PM ET
- Where: Mizzou Arena, Columbia, MO
- TV: ESPN
- NCAAB Odds: TBD
Crimson Tide Cruising
Alabama has gone a perfect 10-0 in SEC contests this season and comes into this matchup off a 78-60 blowout win over LSU on Wednesday night that represented their seventh double-digit win of the season.
“I thought it was a quality win,” Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats said. “We didn’t shoot that well on offense and we made too many turnovers. We have to find other ways to win. I thought we played good on defense.”
Sophomore guard Jaden Shackleford scored a team-high 19 points while four other players reached double figures in scoring in the win. After going into the break up by six points, the Crimson Tide opened the second half on an 11-2 run that effectively ended any hopes LSU might have had of a comeback.
“We’ve got guys that stay ready when their number’s called, and the way they played is a testament to how hard they’re working,” Shackleford said.
Alabama has won nine of 10 and averages 79.8 points per game (38th) on 43.7 percent shooting from the field (205th) and 35.5 percent from beyond the arc (99th). The Crimson Tide allow 69.2 points per game(154th) on 39.7 percent shooting from the field (26th) and 30.3 percent from beyond the arc (59th).
Mizzou Has March Madness in Mind
Missouri has won two straight and five of its last six games including a hard-fought 75-70 home win over reeling Kentucky on Wednesday. Senior guard Dru Smith scored a season-high 26 points while junior backcourt mate Xavier Pinson added 14 points in the win. Smith added seven rebounds and five assists to help Mizzou hold off a furious second half comeback attempt against the Wildcats.
“He’s an experienced guard who’s battle tested,” Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said of Smith. “He plays on both ends, he competes, he gets rebounds.”
Senior forward Jeremiah Tilmon was limited to eight points and five rebounds one game after torching TCU for 33 points and 11 rebounds.
“We’ve seen how (Tilmon’s) been playing, they were sending two at him every time,” Dru Smith said. “A couple of times, it looked like he had three or four guys guarding him. I think just even giving a look into the post was getting guys open shots there, especially early.”
Missouri averages 75.2 points per game (97th) on 45.4 percent shooting from the field (111th) and 31.0 percent shooting from three-point distance (277th). Defensively, the Tigers are allowing 70.2 points per game (182nd) on 41.4 percent shooting from the field (90th) and 30.5 percent from beyond the arc (62nd).
Expert Analysis and Prediction
Missouri might be playing at home in this affair, but Alabama is the statistically better team at both ends of the floor this season. Mizzou beat Alabama 69-50 at home last March, but Alabama has won seven of the last 10 meetings including an 88-74 home win in January of last year.
Missouri has gone 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings and 4-2 ATS in its last six games. While Alabama has alternated ATS wins and losses over its last four games, the Tide have gone a bankroll-boosting 8-2 ATS over its last 10 games. I really like Missouri this season, but Alabama has been just a bit better across the board. If the Tide can keep Jeremiah Tilmon in check, they’ll get the road win and ATS cover in this matchup of March Madness title hopefuls!
Pick: Alabama 79 Missouri 75
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