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LSU Tigers vs Alabama Crimson Tide Betting Preview

College Basketball Betting

LSU Tigers vs Alabama Crimson Tide Game Analysis

No. 10 Alabama Crimson Tide will try to keep their perfect conference record intact on Wednesday night when they host the LSU Tigers. Alabama (14-4) is 9-0 against league foes this season, though the Crimson Tide is coming off a non-conference loss to Oklahoma on Saturday. Our LSU Tigers vs Alabama Crimson Tide betting preview goes over all the picks & online sportsbook odds.

Alabama has a three-game lead over both Florida and LSU for the top spot in the SEC standings. The Tigers have dropped three of their last four, including a home loss to Texas Tech in last weekend’s SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The first of those losses was a 30-point setback to Alabama at home on Jan. 19, so there will be a little revenge on the Tigers’ minds.

Retin Obasohan of the Alabama Crimson Tide drives to the basket. Here's our LSU Tigers vs Alabama Crimson Tide betting preview
Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images/AFP

If you’re going to bet online on this game, Alabama is an 8½-point home favorite, with the over/under for the game set at 164.

Looking For A Turnaround

The 105-75 final of the first meeting between these two clubs was emblematic of the entire game. Alabama scored 60 first-half points and held LSU to just 32. The Tigers are the top-scoring team in the SEC, averaging 82.9 points, but they just did not have it on that night.

Coach Will Wade is certainly hoping for a different story this time after his five starters combined to shoot 19-of-51 from the field, including 5-of-20 from 3-point range.

Freshman guard Cameron Thomas is leading the SEC in scoring with 22.3 points per game and is first in free-throw percentage at .893. But he struggled a bit in the first meeting despite finishing with 21 points, as he turned the ball over five times and was 1-of-6 from 3-point range.

Sophomore forward Trendon Watford (17.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists) will need to play big inside in this one, especially if junior forward Darius Days (12.1 points, 7.9 rebounds) is unable to play. Days suffered a left leg injury in the loss to Texas Tech and is considered doubtful for the return game with Alabama.

Tide Rolling

The 66-61 loss at Oklahoma on Saturday snapped the Crimson Tide’s 10-game winning streak, but coach Nate Oats is hoping it’s just a hiccup on the drive to an SEC title. The 61 points scored were Alabama’s lowest output since a loss to Clemson in mid-December, but playing a team that the Crimson Tide made college basketball news against by hanging 105 on it in their first meeting should boost the team’s confidence.

Senior guard John Petty Jr. leads a balanced attack, averaging 13.6 points, which is just slightly above sophomore guard Jaden Shackelford’s 13.6 points per game due to Petty appearing in one fewer game. Petty is the Tide’s leader from 3-point range, hitting 46 from beyond the arc and shooting 41.1% on his 3-point attempts.

Shackelford is dangerous from long range as well, hitting thirty-five 3-pointers of his own. Senior swingman Herbert Jones is averaging 12.6 points and 2.8 assists while leading the team with 5.9 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per contest.

Jones has been dealing with a back injury for the last couple of weeks but is coming off 37 minutes of playing time against Oklahoma, finishing with team-best totals of six rebounds, five assists and three steals. The anticipation is that he’ll be able to play in this one.

Alabama Wins Again

LSU has hit a rough spot, and winning on the road against the SEC’s top team would certainly help its NCAA March Madness resume. But the Tigers are going to have a hard time keeping up with the Crimson Tide yet again offensively.

Alabama is good offensively — ranking third in the SEC in scoring — but also defensively, allowing just 69.7 points per game. LSU is not going to be able to overcome that in this one.

LSU Tigers vs Alabama Crimson Tide Betting Picks

When making your college basketball picks, give the 8½ points and take the Crimson Tide to win.

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