One of the first games of the Friday Round of 64 slate is between 2-seed Alabama and 15-seed Robert Morris. These are the best bets to consider for the game at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Alabama vs. Robert Morris Best Bets
Alabama finished third in the ultra-competitive SEC this season. That regular season performance and their semifinal appearance in the SEC Tournament was enough to earn Alabama a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Alabama and Florida both landed on the 1-seed line from the SEC, with Alabama and Tennessee on the 2-seed line. The Crimson Tide are looking to carry over their momentum from last year’s fantastic tournament run. After a string of disappointing March Madness trips, Nate Oats led his team to the Final Four last season before losing to the eventual national champions in the national semifinals.
The Crimson Tide plays a unique brand of basketball. All of Nate Oats’ teams push the tempo and shoot a high amount of three-pointers. Alabama ranks first in the country in adjusted tempo, fourth in offensive rating, and sixth in three-pointers attempted per game. The Crimson Tide average 91.1 points per game, the most in the country. They should put their foot to the pedal and try to put up a massive number in the first round against Robert Morris.
Alabama has put up some massive numbers in the NCAA Tournament under Nate Oats over the past few seasons. They scored 109 points in the Round of 64 last season and 89 points in both the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 against top-seeded teams. In 2023, they scored 96 points in the Round of 64, and they also scored 96 points in the Round of 32 in 2021. Oats has shown that he has no problem running up the score against inferior teams in the early rounds of March Madness, and he should try to do so again in this matchup.
Robert Morris ranks 133rd in the nation in defensive rating. They struggled defensively against teams not from the Horizon League. They gave up 87 points to West Virginia, 84 points to Ohio, and 81 points to Delaware in their non-conference schedule. Those teams are not nearly the offensive juggernaut that Alabama is, but Robert Morris struggled to get stops against them. First-team All-American Mark Sears and the Crimson Tide should get open looks and knock them down. As long as Nate Oats doesn’t take his foot off the gas, Alabama should get over their team total of 94.5 points.
Best Bet: Alabama Team Total o94.5 (-115)
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