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Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Vanderbilt Commodores NCAAM prediction, pick for Wednesday, January 7

Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Vanderbilt Commodores NCAAM prediction, pick for Wednesday, January 7

Sports Betting Picks College Basketball DraftKings Network

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By: Ryan Wohl

The best matchup of tonight’s college basketball slate features an SEC showdown between No. 13 Alabama and No. 11 Vanderbilt. The Commodores have begun the season with a perfect 14-0 record and are coming off a 12-point victory over South Carolina. Alabama has an 11-3 record and is 8-1 in its previous nine games.

Vanderbilt is the favorite in this contest at -4.5 on the spread, with Alabama being a +154 outright underdog on DraftKings Sportsbook. Here is my best bet for tonight’s Alabama vs. Vanderbilt CBB matchup.

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Alabama vs. Vanderbilt (9:00 p.m. ET)

Although Alabama has three losses on its resume, context matters. They lost to No. 1 Arizona, No. 5 Purdue, and No. 8 Gonzaga. Even though Kentucky isn’t ranked, the Crimson Tide beat them 89-74 in their last contest. Bama has one of the best backcourts in college basketball with Labaron Philon Jr. and Aden Holloway. Philon averages 21.5 while Holloway scored 18.4 points per game.

Alabama is not a great all-around team, as they have the second-best offensive rating with the 69th defensive rating. As a team, Alabama scores 94.1 points per contest, the seventh most in the country. But the Crimson Tide allows 81.1 points to opponents, the most in the SEC. They have allowed 96, 95, 86, 87, and 96 to ranked opponents this season.

Vanderbilt is off to an excellent start to the season, but it hasn’t faced the same level of competition as Alabama. The Commodores’ best wins have come against UCF, South Carolina, and Saint Mary’s. Vanderbilt is No. 6 on KenPom with the fourth-best offensive rating and 15th defensive rating. The Commodores’ best two players are Duke Miles (17.1 PPG) and Tyler Tanner (16.2 PPG), who create an elite backcourt.

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With two elite offenses, this game has all the makings of a high-scoring contest. Something that Alabama has that doesn’t show up in the statistics is its experience. The Crimson Tide has faced many talented teams and is more prepared heading into tonight’s matchup with Vanderbilt. Getting Alabama to cover the +4.5 spread is a great value play given the upside their offense has.

College Basketball Pick: Alabama +4.5 (-118)

Ryan Wohl
Ryan Wohl
Ryan is a University of Arizona graduate and Philadelphia native. Since 2024, he has been a writer for DraftKings Network, primarily covering combat sports. He is a big Philly sports fan and loves to collect sneakers, as well.
Disclaimer

I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skills and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.