We get what most likely sets up as the game of the year in college basketball, at least in the regular season, on Saturday afternoon. No. 1 Auburn will travel to Tuscaloosa to face No. 2 Alabama, in what should be a bonkers atmosphere. Let’s breakdown a college basketball pick
Auburn at Alabama (4:00pm ET)
The Crimson Tide opened the slightest of home underdogs in this one, at +1.5 (-118) and -102 on the moneyline. I grabbed them and put them out as a play immediately, opting for the -102 price tag. Since the Thursday afternoon opener, ‘Bama quickly flipped to the favorite, and has only grown on Friday and into Saturday morning — you can see the betting splits for the game (as well as the rest of the college hoops slate) right here on DK Network.
As tremendous as Auburn has been this season to earn that No. 1 ranking, they’ve also proven beatable. Just last Saturday, Florida went into Auburn as a double-digit underdog and stomped the Tigers. Auburn responded with a road win at Vandy this week, but blew a 15-0 lead out of the gates and it remained a real game for a while. Struggling in the middle of SEC play has been a theme for these Bruce Pearl teams, and we can point to last season as an example.
Auburn rode an 11-game winning streak into Tuscaloosa in late January of last season, losing by four-points in a game Alabama covered. That loss sparked a skid for the Tigers, who went 5-5 during the next 10 games. The loss to Florida last week could be the beginning of similar struggles for this year’s Auburn team.
It’s hard to poke holes in either of these teams, but I do think ‘Bama has a couple of advantages. The obvious one is home court, which should mean a lot in a game of this caliber. Aside from the home crowd in their favor, being at home should help ‘Bama play the game at its pace. Speeding the game up would favor Alabama, while Auburn will be looking for more of a grinder.
The Crimson Tide are also a little bit deeper, likely going to one or two more guys in the rotation. In a game that we can likely count on pace and physicality, that’ll go a long way. The Tide seem to have two of everything on this team, which is fantastic for depth purposes, and keeps Alabama in games if they have a player struggling with foul trouble.
This isn’t a “fade” of Auburn, but more belief that Alabama is as good as anybody in the nation. I believe in ‘Bama’s talent, coaching and depth, so on their home floor, there’s not a team in the country I wouldn’t back the Tide against.
College Basketball Pick: Alabama ML (-102) 2.5-units (play out to -140 ML or -2.5 ATS)
Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app on Apple or Google!
Put your knowledge to the test. Sign up for DraftKings and experience the game inside the game.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
The contents contained in this article do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment.
