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Our college basketball expert, Greg “Hoops” Peterson, has taken a major interest in this weekend’s SEC-Big 12 Challenge and for good reason. There are a lot of excellent matchups, including this one between Baylor and Alabama. Check out Greg’s pick for the game.
Baylor Bears (-2, 150.5) at Alabama Crimson Tide
Saturday’s SEC-Big XII Challenge is preparing to be one of the biggest events of the college basketball season given the success and depth of both conferences.
Entering the season, many thought Saturday’s Baylor vs. Alabama matchup was going to be a battle of two ranked teams, but has instead become a question of whether or not Alabama can get back on track.
After winning the National Championship last season, Baylor has actually been better on defense from a points allowed on a per-possession basis, entering the weekend fifth in that category after being 25th a season ago.
It is also important to point out that Baylor is tough to back as a favorite because the Bears rank 273rd nationally in free throw shooting percentage.
It has been the opposite for the Crimson Tide, ranking 198th in points allowed on a per-possession basis after ranking 17th in this metric last season, but they are allowing 11.1 points per 100 possessions fewer at home than on the road.
Alabama has also been a good offensive team this season, ranking 31st in points scored on a per-possession basis with a guard tandem in Jaden Shackelford and Jahvon Quinerly that is combining for 31.4 points per game.
It has been a rough stretch for Alabama since their upset victory against Gonzaga, covering just one of their 12 games since then, but Alabama will achieve what few have; defeat both teams that played in the previous season’s National Championship Game.
The Play: Alabama Moneyline
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