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 Tournament Friday slate concludes with a night game between Kentucky and Alabama. It’s a game Alabama has to have if it places importance on claiming a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Let’s be clear about this: Being a No. 1 seed obviously feels good and is a position of privilege, but it might not always be the best way to get to the Final Four. Alabama could be a No. 1 seed in a very tough region, or it could be a No. 2 seed in a region which has an easier and more manageable bracket over the course of the four rounds leading up to the Final Four. A No. 1 seed is supposed to offer a better bracket, but it doesn’t always work that way. Alabama’s main focus is to win at least one game, ideally two, at the SEC Tournament so that if it does get a No. 2 seed instead of a No. 1 seed, it will still be higher on the overall seed list and will therefore get a better bracket than the other highly-seeded teams.
Here are the Kentucky-Alabama College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
SEC Tournament Odds: Kentucky-Alabama Odds
Kentucky: +7.5 (-115)
Moneyline: +235
Alabama: -7.5 (-105)
Moneyline: -295
Over: 179.5 (-110)
Under: 179.5 (-110)
How to Watch Kentucky vs Alabama
Time: 9:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. PT
TV: SEC Network
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Kentucky Will Cover The Spread/Win
Kentucky just beat Oklahoma on Thursday night in the SEC Tournament second round. The Wildcats led 77-65 with under four minutes left and still led 80-72 with under 1:30 remaining. This game should have been in their back pocket. They committed multiple turnovers and lost the lead, only for Otega Oweh — who transferred out of Oklahoma — to score the winning basket with 0.5 seconds left. UK survived, 85-84. The late collapse was ugly, but when a team plays poorly and still gets the win, that creates a sense of relief, which leads to relaxation and confidence. Kentucky knows it got away with one. Now the Wildcats can play with house money and a lot of freedom in this game against Alabama. The Crimson Tide did just beat Auburn on the road, but they also lost at home to Florida and on the road to Tennessee. Alabama is not locked in on defense and looks like a very ordinary team when its 3-point shots are not falling. There are ample weaknesses with this Bama team, and Kentucky certainly has the skilled offensive threats which can score against the Tide and keep this game close enough to cover.
Why Alabama Will Cover The Spread/Win
Kentucky reminded all of us against Oklahoma why it isn’t seeded higher in the SEC Tournament (No. 6), and why it is such a wild card in the NCAA Tournament. The great version of Kentucky is phenomenal, but the bad version of Kentucky is horrible, and we see the bad version of Kentucky more than just one or two times. There is such a wide level of variance between the best and worst iterations of Kentucky that it makes it impossible to trust the Wildcats in betting situations. They didn’t cover the spread against Oklahoma. Why would they cover against a much, much better Alabama team?
Final Kentucky-Alabama Prediction & Pick
Our lean is to Kentucky, but we think that in a volatile game with a lot of runs, you should wait for a second-half live play.
Final Kentucky-Alabama Prediction & Pick: Kentucky +7.5
The post Kentucky vs Alabama prediction, odds, pick for SEC Tournament appeared first on ClutchPoints.
