Is this the year that the Alabama Crimson Tide finally establish themselves as a basketball power? The Crimson Tide haven’t made the NCAA Tournament since 2012, but there is a lot of buzz in Tuscaloosa about Avery Johnson’s third season on the job. Alabama is looking for its breakthrough win at this point. It will try to knock off a name-brand opponent when the Crimson Tide face the Arizona Wildcats, a team that was in the preseason top five, on Saturday night.
This war on the floor will go down Saturday, December 9, 2017, at 10 p.m. ET at the McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona. The game will be televised live on ESPN2. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Saturday schedule.
Opening College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
Arizona is off to a rough start, but did get a nice win earlier this week against Texas A&M. The Wildcats were one-point underdogs to the Aggies but gritted out a three-point victory thanks to some good defense at the end. Still, this team is not where anyone expected it to be and is just 6-3 overall and 3-5-1 ATS through the early part of the season.
The Crimson Tide are in search of the victory that will establish the school as a real contender. Alabama has been in and out of the bottom of the Top 25 this season and got off to a 5-0 start with wins over Memphis and BYU. However, things have been tough for the Tide lately and after losing to Minnesota, they dropped a game to UCF as a 10-point favorite. Alabama just barely squeaked past Louisiana Tech and needed to work to get past a beaten up Rhode Island team earlier in the week too.
Player to Watch
Freshman Deandre Ayton might be one and done, but has given Arizona plenty of reason to be excited this season. At 7’1, he has the size to take over a game, and has the inside-outside game that has become a staple of Arizona’s big men.
Ayton is only hitting 26.3 percent from downtown, but the fact that he can step out to the perimeter lets teammates like Allonzo Trier get to the paint. That shooting ability is also reflected in his free throw totals. Most big men struggle from the line, especially when they are younger, but Ayton is knocking down 72.2 percent of his free throws this year.
He can also take over a game in the more traditional way. Ayton is shooting 60 percent from the floor and is averaging a double-double this year. His 19.6 PPG are second on the team to Trier, while he leads the team in rebounding with 11.2 RPG. He should only pick up steam as he gets more and more experience and Alabama doesn’t have someone with his size.
Key Stat
Although the Crimson Tide are a decent rebounding team, they still typically play a four guard lineup and that can be problematic when playing a taller team like Arizona. The Wildcats have athletic big men that can clear the paint and come out and play man up against you.
Instead, the Crimson Tide win with ball distribution and shot selection. They are one of the best shooting teams in the country, knocking down 50 percent of their baskets, and have been able to effectively score on most opponents.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
It’s interesting that as good as Alabama has been at knocking down field goals, this team has struggled from the free throw line. The Crimson Tide are one of the worst free throw shooting teams in the country and have hit just 63 percent of their freebies this year. That’s a concerning figure and will be one of the reasons they don’t cover here.
College Basketball Odds: Arizona 82, Alabama 71
BookMaker.eu offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker.eu!
