The Alabama Crimson Tide (28-8) might be better known for their football program, but the school is back in the Elite 8 for a second straight season. To make the school’s second-ever Final Four appearance, they’ll be tasked with getting past a blue blood program in the Duke Blue Devils (34-3) on Saturday.
Alabama is a battle-tested team. The Crimson Tide played nine consecutive games against ranked opponents before entering the NCAA Tournament. After a pair of close games in the opening rounds, the Crimson Tide left no doubt by blowing past BYU in the Sweet 16.
Duke dominated a down ACC this season, and four of their five matchups against ranked opponents occurred before conference play. Still, the Blue Devils have lost only one game since the start of December, and the program could make its 18th Final Four appearance with a win on Saturday.
Will the top-seeded Blue Devils finish the story and win the East Region? We’ll cover that and our top three player prop bets for Saturday’s Elite 8 contest.
Cooper Flagg removed any doubts about what he’ll do at the next level in Thursday’s game against the Arizona Wildcats. The 6-foot-9 freshman scored 30 points against the fourth-seeded Wildcats, hitting three of his five long-range shots and knocking down nine of his 10 free throws to lead the Blue Devils into the Elite 8.
Can the phenom replicate those efforts on Saturday against Alabama? It’s not likely. Flagg hit the 30-point mark for only the second time this year, and he’s finished under 24 points in 12 of his past 15 games.
Oddsmakers are setting this bar too high, allowing bettors to make a profit off this – and others we’ll cover below – prop bets.
That was one way to break out of a shooting slump! After making just five of his 35 three-point attempts over a six-game stretch, Sears knocked down 10 of his 16 attempts en route to a 34-point, eight-assist effort to knock off the BYU Cougars on Thursday.
Duke’s defense will certainly be more stringent against the 6-foot-1 senior. Expect the Blue Devils to slow down Alabama’s leading scorer, keeping him under 20 points in their matchup on Saturday.
They’ll force others to score, and Sears will rack up assists. Still, take the under on this player prop bet.
Outside of Sears, few players have had as much of an impact on Alabama’s fortunes as Grant Nelson. This season, the forward is averaging 11.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game for the Crimson Tide.
Against BYU, the 6-foot-11 senior had his strongest rebounding effort in nearly a month as he recorded 10 boards against the Cougars.
Duke is a bigger team, and there’s little reason to believe he’ll replicate this stat against the Blue Devils. Take the under on this player prop bet.
It’s tempting to take the over on the combined total points for this matchup, especially after Duke and Alabama scored 213 combined on Thursday.
The Crimson Tide has been college basketball’s top-scoring offense the past two seasons, and both teams have easily scored at least 80 points in each of their first three NCAA games.
With so much riding on this game, a lower-scoring first half could keep the teams from reaching the 172.5-point mark. I expect the game to remain close throughout, and Duke has more talent on its roster.
Still, an upset wouldn’t be shocking. Take Alabama to cover the spread in this Elite 8 contest. Roll Tide!