Wednesday, December 16 sees a pretty full slate of games on the college basketball betting season calendar, and there are a few that jump right of the page. One of the more intriguing match-ups sees the Winthrop Eagles head into Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, where they will face the Alabama Crimson Tide at 9 PM EST on the SEC Network and Watch ESPN.

Men’s Basketball Back In Action Wednesday Evening At Alabama #W1NTHROP https://t.co/E9iUMzkKA4

— Winthrop Athletics (@WUEagles) December 15, 2015

Eagles vs Crimson Tide NCAAB Betting Game Preview

Both teams are off to 6-2 starts, which is why the betting is a little bit together for this one, with Alabama for the straight up win. You can currently get the Winthrop Eagles in the point spread, thanks in large part to the stifling defense being played by the Crimson Tide right now.

Why bet on the Winthrop Eagles

The Eagles are off to their best start to a season since back in 1989-90, and are coming off another game versus an SEC opponent in the Georgia Bulldogs, with that game going down to the wire in a loss for the Eagles. Both of the losses for Winthrop have come away from home, but they are 1-0 ATS on the road this season. While the Eagles failed to cover in the loss to Georgia, it is worth noting that they are 7-0 ATS in games immediately following an ATS loss. Things don’t look so good in non-conference action overall, though, as the Eagles are 5-13-1 ATS in their last 19 games out of conference.  

Why bet on the Alabama Crimson Tide

It may not necessarily be the best option to go with the Crimson Tide against the spread in this one, as they are just 1-8 ATS in the last 9 games after an ATS win, which is what they delivered in their 51-50 win over Clemson on the road. You also have to consider that Alabama are just 9-23-2 ATS in their last 33 games after a straight up win. Given that Alabama played a pretty defensive style of ball, you might believe that the UNDER is the way to go here, but the OVER did hit the last time the Crimson Tide played on home court.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

This has all the makings of a coin toss game for me. Alabama are great on defense, but Winthrop play a slow-paced style of offense that will not necessarily be hurt by that style. You have to give Winthrop the edge in all other facets of the game, and I would not be surprised to see them grind out a road win. Alabama Crimson Tide 61