The Missouri Tigers are fighting for their NCAA men’s basketball tournament lives, and a recent three-game skid has put an appearance there in peril. They are hoping to pick up a critical win next time out, but it won’t be easy as Missouri hits the road to face off against the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Alabama is coming off a solid win over Oklahoma and has fared well in SEC play. The Crimson Tide is in a better spot to make March Madness but wants to secure as high of a seed as possible. Alabama has the superior record and plays at home in this one, so it should be favored to come away with the win.
At 9 p.m. ET, tune into ESPN2 for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game on Wednesday, January 31, 2018, at the Coleman Coliseum.
We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Wednesday schedule.
Odds Analysis
Missouri is 13-8 straight up and 10-10 against the spread this season. The Tigers have played in six road games and have covered in only two of them. Missouri has covered in half of its six games as the underdog this season.
Alabama is 14-7 straight up and 12-8 against the spread. The Crimson Tide has covered in seven of 10 attempts at home on the season and will aim to continue that positive trend. Alabama is 6-5 this year against the spread as the favorite.
Suspension Update
Missouri backup point guard Terrence Phillips has been suspended indefinitely as the school is investigating him in a Title IX probe.
Phillips is not expected to play in this game. He is averaging only 2.5 points and 1.9 assists on the season as the junior has seen his playing time decrease substantially. He averaged in double figures last year when he was a starter.
Phillips’ absence won’t hurt the team too much but he is a depth piece in case the guards ahead of him get into foul trouble. It is unknown when the investigation will conclude.
Player To Watch
Collin Sexton —The Alabama star freshman has been a big reason why the team is set to make the NCAA Tournament. He is averaging a team-best 18.5 points per game while adding 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists per contest.
Sexton recently suffered an abdominal injury that kept him out of a couple of games but he has since returned to the lineup. He had a big-time game last time out, scoring 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting to help Alabama upset Oklahoma against fellow freshman phenom Trae Young.
Sexton is shooting 43.4 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from three-point range this season and has shown the ability to get hot and help carry the team for stretches.
Free NCAA Men’s Basketball ATS Picks
Missouri beat a ranked Tennessee team recently but then followed that with losses to Texas A&M, Auburn and Mississippi State. The Tigers have dropped to 3-5 in conference play and really need to get near .500 or better in order to strengthen their case to make March Madness.
The Tigers have enough talent to make this a good game, but Alabama might be the slightly better team in this one. The home court advantage is a big deal, as it will make the Crimson Tide the favorite and should lead them to a win in this showdown.
The spread may not be too big, and Alabama could be the right choice to cover if it plays well down the stretch in this matchup. The scoring total should be pretty much run of the mill as both teams are decent on both ends of the court, but nothing too notable.
NCAA Men’s Basketball Odds: Alabama 75, Missouri 70
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