Welcome to the Wednesday college hoops slate, sports betting family. Now that conference play is in full swing and the College Football Playoff is winding down, you can expect us to cover the college hardwood a little bit more around these parts.
I can't wait for this SEC matchup between the Crimson Tide and the Commodores. Both of these teams are ranked in the Top 13, so this one should be an exciting tilt. Check out my best bet for Alabama vs Vandy below. Good luck and enjoy the game.
Online sportsbooks opened this line at Vanderbilt -4.5 on the lookahead line yesterday. A little bit of money has come in on the Tide, so much so that the line is now sitting at Vandy -3.5 at the time of this writing.
As for the game total, there's been some Over money in the market so far. The line opened at 176.5, and most shops are now offering 178.5. As always, be sure to shop around for the best price before pulling the trigger on any bet.
Alabama is sitting at 11-3 on the season, and they look to be one of the premier teams in the SEC once again. Head coach Nate Oates loves the balance of this team, as they have four guys who average 10.6 points per game or higher.
The backcourt combo of Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway has been tough for most opposing teams to tame. The frontcourt is young, but Amari Allen and Aiden Sherrell do a good job of crashing the boards.
Alabama loves to play at a fast pace and shoot lots of 3s, and it's paid off so far. The Crimson Tide ranks 17th in the nation in points per game, so Vandy's defense better bring its A game tonight.
Vandy is a perfect 14-0 this season, and fans in Nashville are buzzing with excitement about this Commodores team. Senior Duke Miles leads the team in scoring, and big fella Devin McGlockton leads the squad in rebounding. Both of them are on the injury report but listed as probable.
The Dores do a great job of defending the 3-ball, which is a good trait to have against a fun-and-gun offense like Alabama. Vandy has also shot the ball incredibly well so far, as they rank 17th in field goal percentage.
BAMA vs VAN: 9:00 PM ET on January 7
It's been a rough few days for us in college hoops, as we're 1-4-1 so far. Things will turn around soon, so stay disciplined with your bet sizes and hang in there. I like this spot for Bama on the road tonight in Nashville.
Alabama already has 3 losses, but all of them were to Top 12 teams. The Crimson Tide is a battle-tested bunch, as their strength of schedule is +12.59 according to KenPom. This team also has a terrific road win over St. John's earlier this season. Bama also tends to come out of the gates strong, so I like the first half better than the full game.
As for Vanderbilt, sure, they're undefeated, but the Dores have yet to play a Top 25 team. This will be a huge step up in class for Vandy, as their SOS rating is just +3.45 so far. Let's play Bama in the first stanza, and hope Labaron Philon shows up and shows out.
Trends I Love:
BAMA is 25-12 ATS in the First Half their last 37 games (26% ROI)
BAMA is 9-4 ATS in their last 13 road games (33% ROI)