We’ve got a monster Top-10 matchup in college hoops on Thursday night, as No. 2 Purdue travels to Tuscaloosa to face No. 8 Alabama. Let’s breakdown a college basketball pick for Thursday’s game.
Purdue vs. Alabama (7:00 p.m. ET)
Last season these two programs met in West Lafayette in November, with Alabama actually going off the short road favorite. However, Purdue put together a strong second half to pull away with an 87-78 victory at home. This time around, the Crimson Tide will be looking to return the favor on their home floor.
Alabama is off a huge road win over St. John’s at Madison Square Garden on Saturday afternoon, putting up a whopping 103 points in the process. ‘Bama is in the midst of one of the most difficult November schedules you’ll see, going from No. 5 St. John’s (at the time) to hosting No. 2 Purdue, before traveling away from home to face No. 14 Illinois and No. 19 Gonzaga.
The Crimson Tide play at a rapid pace and will be looking to score quickly, led by their three-headed monster in the backcourt. Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway are the starting backcourt, and both can play on or off the ball. They combined for 46 points against the Red Storm, while Latrell Wrightsell poured in 17 points in 22 minutes off the bench, connecting of 4-of-8 triples.
Taylor Bol Bowen transfers over to ‘Bama from FSU to give the Tide some size in the middle, which they’ll need against Purdue. The Boilermakers brought in Oscar Cluff from South Dakota State to play center, and are also expected to get Trey Kaufman-Renn back for this game. Kaufman-Renn, who was crucial in Purdue’s win over ‘Bama last season, averaged over 20 points with 6.5 boards on the year. He plans to make his season debut after missing the first two game with a hip pointer and back soreness. While the Boilermakers are glad to see him back, this is a pretty difficult game to knock the rust off and test your health.
Purdue, of course, comes with a tremendous backcourt as well. Veterans in Braden Smith and Fletcher Loyer return, so don’t expect the Boilermakers to get rattled on the road here. That said, this Alabama offense is lethal, and I’m not sure Purdue will be able to keep up.
Rick Pitino has made defense a calling card for St. John’s, which allowed 65.8 points per game last season. ‘Bama absolutely blew that number out of the water in a 103-96 victory, speeding the Johnnies up in the process. I think ‘Bama can also speed Purdue up here, which already has KenPom’s No. 1 ranked offense (Alabama ranks 15th). However, the Boilermakers rank just 44th on KenPom in defensive efficiency, so I expect them to struggle with ‘Bama’s scoring. The Crimson Tide rank similarly at 38th in that category. Fast pace and offenses that are well ahead of the defenses should provide an entertaining barnburner.
Now with home court and a chance for revenge, I’ll take the Tide to roll in Tuscaloosa in a game that we see another big number on the scoreboard.
College Basketball Pick: Alabama -2.5 (-110) & OVER 175 (-110)
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