Alabama vs Liberty Odds
| Alabama Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Point Spread | Total Points | Moneyline |
-9.5 -110 | 153.5 -110o / -110u | +375 |
| Liberty Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Point Spread | Total Points | Moneyline |
+9.5 -110 | 153.5 -110o / -110u | -500 |
Let's head south to Birmingham, Alabama, where the Crimson Tide battle the Liberty Flames.
This should be a terrific non-conference contest, with both offenses primed to put on a show.
The Tide will look to build off their victory against Eastern Kentucky, especially after losing three straight to Purdue, Creighton, and Arizona. They may only be 7-5, but the Tide are still one of the most talented teams in the country.
Richie McKay's team will be tested in this matchup, and his offense must be ready to go blow-for-blow.
Let's dive deeper into this matchup.
Alabama Crimson Tide
Despite being explosive offensively, the Flames are among the nation's slowest-paced teams, ranking 36th in offensive efficiency and 344th in tempo.
The Flames are efficient from all over the floor, ranking inside the top 80 nationally in both 2-point and 3-point percentages. They're also 24th in turnover rate, protecting the ball.
I am concerned about Liberty's height disadvantage. The Flames are among the nation's smallest teams, while the Tide are among the tallest, which should play a factor on the boards.
I'd like to see Liberty earn more trips to the charity stripe, and this is an excellent matchup for that, as Alabama is uber-aggressive on defense and fouls plenty.
Even with the height disadvantage, the Flames have avenues to offense.
Liberty's perimeter defense is rock-solid, although the Tide are much better from 3 than the teams the Flames have placed.
If the Flames want to pull off a big upset, they must defend the 3 against a high-flying Alabama offense.
Liberty Flames
Despite this being a "neutral" site game, the Tide will have the crowd advantage in Birmingham. And Nate Oats's squad will be desperate to continue building momentum heading into SEC play.
Alabama ranks tops nationally in offensive efficiency, and the Tide should pounce on the Flames. They're much lengthier, more athletic, and more talented.
The Tide likely crash the glass and earn second-chance scoring opportunities, and they should use their quick tempo to force the Flames into a track meet.
The Flames are among Conference USA's best offenses, but they'll be catching their breath all afternoon because they lack depth. Conversely, the Tide boast a deep rotation that they use to keep their legs fresh across 40 minutes.
The Tide are 7-5, but that does not accurately illustrate how good they are. ShotQuality's metrics back that up, as they're seventh nationally in Rim-and-3 rate and are due for positive shooting regression.
Their defense is above-average but not elite. They don't force turnovers are overly aggressive.
So, it's hard to sell me on backing the Tide on Saturday despite how good the offense is. The Flames could sneak in the backdoor by hitting a few late 3s.
Alabama vs. Liberty
Betting Pick & Prediction
I think the Tide will be a play-on team as SEC conference play begins, but I can't back them in this game.
The Flames have the offensive talent to keep up in a shootout despite being severely outsized.
I also believe the Flames will earn more trips to the free-throw line than usual, thanks to an overly aggressive Tide defense. They will get destroyed on the glass, but that should benefit Over bettors.
So, the Over is the best way to play Saturday's contest, as I expect both offenses to score.
Kick back and relax as these two offenses duel in a high-flying, high-scoring match.
Pick: Over 155.5 (Play to 157)
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