LSU vs. Alabama NCAA Basketball Betting Analysis and Free Pick (Archive)
Nate Oats and the Alabama Crimson Tide look to pull out of a nosedive on Wednesday’s NCAA basketball betting card when the LSU Tigers travel to Tuscaloosa for a Southeastern Conference showdown.
LSU Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
Wednesday, January 19, 2022 – 7:00 PM EST at Coleman Coliseum
A top 10 team earlier this season and ranked No. 15 just two weeks ago, Alabama has tumbled out the two polls thanks to three consecutive losses. One of the setbacks came against Auburn, and those Tigers are sitting pretty at No. 2 in the country as well as at the top of the SEC standings where the Crimson Tide have slid a full three games behind.
Also coming off a losing NCAAB score, LSU dipped one spot to No. 13 in the latest AP poll. Wednesday’s contest at Alabama is the first of two difficult conference road games this week for these Tigers, and they’re sitting two games behind front-running Auburn.
Pinson a Game-Time Decision for Bayou Bengals
Wednesday’s matchup should attract a nice little audience on ESPN2, and we know a raucous Crimson Tide crowd is going to roll inside Coleman Coliseum. The majority of the early online sports betting has been on Alabama, and that has pushed the home team up to being favorites of 4-4½ points, all while the total has also been on the rise to 149½-150.
One of the big stories heading into the game is the status of LSU point guard Xavier Pinson. The senior transfer from Missouri injured a knee in the win over Tennessee on January 8th and has missed the Tigers’ last two games. Head coach Will Wade said that Pinson, the team’s third-leading scorer (10.9 ppg) has been running and would be reevaluated before tonight’s contest.
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The Tigers could have used Pinson last Saturday when the offense stalled in the second half of a 65-58 loss to Arkansas. Louisiana State had an 8-point lead with 9:02 remaining and then proceeded to go scoreless for nearly seven minutes. The loss stopped a 3-game win streak both straight-up and against the spread for the Tigers who were favored by 6½ and it also ended a 13-game win streak at home in Baton Rouge.
Tide Struggles from 3-Point Range During Skid
Alabama had been part of the top 25 in both the AP and coaches polls all season until the lists came out this week following the Crimson Tide’s third consecutive loss last Saturday. They are technically 29th in both sets of rankings while sitting 16th according to Ken Pomeroy and 19th on the BPI chart thanks, in part, to the toughest schedule in the country.
A trip to Mississippi State this past weekend resulted in a 78-76 defeat that pushed a 2-point spread at Bovada (visit our Bovada Review) favoring the Bulldogs. It was a tight battle the entire way before Mississippi State got a little breathing room late before holding off Alabama.
Keon Ellis missed a 3-point attempt with one second remaining that could’ve given the Crimson Tide a dramatic victory. Alabama sank just 8-of-29 from beyond the arc at Mississippi State and has converted on just 24-of-84 (28.5%) in the trio of setbacks.
Totals Split Last Four Meetings in Tuscaloosa
This is the first of two scheduled meetings between Alabama and LSU, the Crimson Tide set to travel to Baton Rouge for the final regular-season game for both teams. Of course, the two old foes were scheduled to only meet twice a season ago and ended up playing a third time when Alabama beat LSU 80-79 in the SEC Tournament Championship. The Crimson Tide won all three matchups last year, covering the two regular-season contests at the top-rated sportsbooks, and have a 4-game win streak to build a 112-74 lead in the series.
Both of the regular season clashes were easy covers for Alabama. Crimson Tide backers were giving up 8½ for the contest at Coleman Coliseum, and Alabama more than doubled-up that spread with a 78-60 decision. It was the Crimson Tide’s fourth win straight up and against the spread in the last five matchups played in Tuscaloosa.
Going up against a defense like LSU’s is not going to make it easy for Alabama to correct some of its recent shooting woes. Most of the time in this offense vs. defense matchups, my gut goes with the defense for a free college basketball pick, but tonight it’s telling me to go the other way.
NCAAB Pick: Alabama -4 (-108) with Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.