Alabama vs. BYU: Picks, Predictions and Odds

Partner Authors Published: Mar 25 2025 13:43

The first two rounds of the men's tournament have come and gone, so now it's time for the regional semifinals.

Action on the college hardwood resumes on Thursday night when the Alabama Crimson Tide and BYU Cougars collide in the East Region at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

It has been mostly chalk in the East, where three of the top four seeds in the East have advanced: No. 1 Duke, No. 2 Alabama and No. 4 Arizona. The only exception is No. 3 Wisconsin, which got bounced by No. 6 BYU in the second round this past weekend.

Read below to see our expert predictions for Alabama vs. BYU.

Alabama vs. BYU betting picks and predictions

Alabama -5.5 (-110)

Alabama was a bit of a question mark heading to the dance, as senior forward Grant Nelson suffered a knee injury during the SEC Tournament.

Not unlike the situation with Duke and Cooper Flagg, there are questions no more. Nelson was questionable for round one but came off the bench and logged seven minutes of court time during a victory over No. 16 seed Robert Morris.

That set up the former North Dakota State standout for a much bigger role in the Crimson Tide's second game. Getting healthier by the day, Nelson improved to the tune of 12 points, eight rebounds, two assists and one block in 28 minutes as the Tide cruised past Saint Mary's 80-66 on Sunday.

With Nelson back in business, head coach Nate Oats' squad is a well-oiled machine. In addition to Nelson, Alabama is also led by guards Mark Spears, Aden Holloway, Labaron Philon and Chris Youngblood.

All four of those guys are averaging double figures, with Spears topping the chart at 18.6 points per game. Great guard play is generally essential for success in the men's college department; 'Bama certainly fits that requirement.

Experienced teams are also best equipped to make deep runs in the tournament. The Crimson Tide's top three scorers are all seniors and they made it all the way to the national semifinals last year before losing to eventual national champion UConn.

BYU has done well to knock off VCU and Wisconsin, but giving up 89 points to the Badgers is not particularly encouraging heading into a showdown against Alabama. It is also worth noting that the Cougars faced Houston in the Big 12 Tournament semifinals and lost by 20, giving an indication – and not a positive one – of what happens when they run into elite competition.

With Alabama battle-hardened by formidable SEC opposition throughout the year, look for the Tide to continue representing the best conference in college basketball and advance once again.

Over 175.5 Total Points (-110)

No team in the entire nation scores more or plays faster than Alabama. The Crimson Tide are No. 1 nationally in scoring (90.8 ppg) with room to spare, as no other program is averaging more than 86.4 ppg. Their pace of play is the fastest in the nation, resulting in 78.6 possessions per game.

BYU does not play anywhere close to as fast as Alabama, but it at least finds itself in the upper half of the NCAA in the pace department (No. 145 out of 364 teams at 70.8 possessions per game).

The Cougars rank 25th nationally by scoring 81.3 ppg, so they will not be deterred from trying to keep up with the Crimson Tide in a shootout. Richie Saunders (16.3 ppg) has scored at least 22 points in six of his team's last 10 games, including 25 against Wisconsin last weekend.

BYU is No. 28 in the country in three-point shooting percentage (37.3) while allowing opponents to shoot at a decent 35.0 per cent clip from deep, the combination of which is obviously a recipe for high-scoring affairs.

All things considered, the Over looks like a strong play.

Alabama vs. BYU odds

Alabama	-210 ML
BYU	+175 ML
Spread	Alabama -5.5
Total	O/U 175.5

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.