Alabama Eyeing No. 1 Seed in March Madness Bracket
Can’t-miss games between Alabama and Texas A&M aren’t limited to the football field.
Both the Crimson Tide and Aggies are in the field of 68. However, before the March Madness bracket is announced, there is a little business to take care of as the teams square off in the SEC title game on Sunday.
Alabama might earn a No. 1 seed regardless of the result. However, a win should erase all doubt.
Alabama and Texas A&M were picked to finish fifth and sixth according to votes from the SEC media so both have made a habit of exceeding the expectations of those making college basketball picks.
The game features two of the SEC’s top four scorers with Brandon Miller topping the conference in scoring as a freshman and the Aggies’ fourth in the scoring race.
When it comes to college basketball news, Texas A&M is in good shape injury wise while Alabama got reserve guard Dominick Welch back for the tournament after he was slowed with a back issue.
Alabama fell two spots to No. 4 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll and went from second to fifth in the coaches’ poll. Texas A&M is 18th in both national polls, rising six positions in the writers’ poll and three spots in the coaches’ poll.
According to the college basketball odds, Alabama (+1000) is tied for fourth in the odds to win the national championship. Texas A&M comes in 26th at +8000.
Alabama is second and Texas A&M 20th in the NCAA NET rankings and that will help when it comes time to make college basketball predictions following the release of the bracket. Texas A&M has a chance to earn one of the top 16 seeds with a win.
The Aggies made plenty of bubble teams happy with the win over Vanderbilt on Saturday with the Commodores potentially stealing a bid with a run to the SEC tournament title.
Aggies Off And Running
After coming back from a 13-point deficit in the quarterfinals against Arkansas, there wasn’t quite as much drama when Texas A&M took to the court in the semifinals.
The Aggies shot 69% from the field in the first half to take a 49-25 lead on the upset-minded Vanderbilt team.
Tyrece Radford and Julis Marble combined for 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting and Wade Taylor was 3 of 4 on 3-pointers.
The Aggies had 15 points off turnovers and 13 fast-break points in the first half to end any hopes of another Vanderbilt stunner.
Texas A&M has covered against the college basketball betting lines in 10 of its last 11 games.
Miller Comes Through Yet Again
It isn’t always about how many shots a team hits as much as when they hit them.
Alabama made eight 3-pointers in the SEC semifinals against Missouri. Three of them came during a 16-3 run in the second half that turned a three-point deficit into a 10-point lead.
Miller hit two of them as he had eight points during the game-deciding surge. Noah Gurley had the other one, in his only 3-point shot of the game as the top-seeded Crimson Tide advanced to the title game.
Miller finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds in the 11-point win while Clowney added 19 points. Miller has led the team in scoring in both tournament games. Miller broke Collin Sexton’s program record for points scored by a freshman.
633 Points‼️
Brandon Miller has set the program record for most points ever scored in a Freshman season, surpassing Collin Sexton!#RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball pic.twitter.com/PSFW1bfNeK
— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) March 11, 2023
Alabama has covered against the Las Vegas odds in seven of its last nine games.
Texas A&M vs Alabama Game Injuries
Texas A&M vs Alabama Head-to-Head
Texas A&M has won each of the last five games against Alabama after a 67-61 win at home on March 4 as a 1½-point favorite according to the sportsbook.
Six of the last seven matchups between the SEC rivals were decided by single digits.
The last time the teams met in the SEC tournament, Alabama came away with the 71-70 in the second round in 2018.
Three of the last four games between the Aggies and Crimson Tide have finished under the total.
Texas A&M vs Alabama Game Information
- Game: Texas A&M (25-8, 15-3 SEC) vs Alabama (28-5, 16-2)
- Location: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
- Day/Time: Sunday, Mar. 12,1 p.m. ET
- Texas A&M vs Alabama Live Stream: TBS.com
Texas A&M vs Alabama Betting Lines
Texas A&M vs Alabama Picks & Prediction
These have been the two most consistent teams in the conference all season long so it is fitting that they will be squaring off in the tournament title game.
Alabama is looking for its second SEC tournament title while Texas A&M is playing for the conference championship for the first time since losing in overtime to Kentucky in 2016. Texas A&M outscored Alabama 27-10 at the foul line when the teams met earlier this month so the Crimson Tide will need to be more under control in the rematch.
Alabama is 26-3 when listed by the Las Vegas NCAA odds as the favorite. Texas A&M is just 3-4 as an underdog.
Texas A&M is 3-3 straight up and against the spread in neutral-site games this season. Alabama won four of its first six games at neutral sites and covered in four of those games as well.
Alabama is listed at -200 in our Las Vegas college basketball lines. This means that if you wager $100 on the Crimson Tide, you have a chance to win $50. Texas A&M is +170, offering a chance to win $170 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Alabama a 66.67% chance to win, with Texas A&M at 37.04%.
Texas A&M vs Alabama Trends
Texas A&M vs Alabama Edge
Texas A&M vs Alabama Results
Texas A&M vs Alabama Game Summary
