Two heated SEC rivals will be meeting for the second time this season with mostly pride on the line, with the Alabama Crimson Tide heading down the road to take on the Auburn Tigers.
These two have plenty of firepower all around on the offensive end and are taking this massive football rivalry onto the court as two of the best teams in the country.
Find out why my Alabama vs. Auburn predictions see both teams having plenty of rebounding opportunities despite the high scoring projection in my college basketball picks for Saturday, March 8.
Alabama vs Auburn prediction
My best bet
Grant Nelson Over 6.5 rebounds (-125 at bet365)
My analysis
These two teams met in Tuscaloosa back on February 15. That game featured 179 points, but it was not because both teams were lighting it up from the field.
The Auburn Tigers shot 46.2% from the field, and the Alabama Crimson Tide shot 38.6%.
The reason they scored so many points was because of the quick pace that both teams can play with. That quick pace, combined with poor shooting percentages, created a ton of rebounding opportunities.
The Tigers had 38 total rebounds, and the Tide had 41.
Those rebounds were mostly dominated by five different players. Johni Broome had 14 rebounds and Miles Kelly had eight for the Tigers.
Meanwhile, Grant Nelson and Clifford Omoruyi had 12 boards, and Mouhamed Dioubate had seven for the Crimson Tide.
Both teams are great at rebounding, with Alabama ranking first in the country in total rebounding and 19th in rebound percentage. Meanwhile, Auburn ranks 66th in total rebounding and 46th in rebounding percentage.
The only real weakness on the rebounding front for either team is their allowance of offensive boards.
Alabama ranks 357th in offensive rebounds allowed, and Auburn ranks 294th. Nelson is one of the best offensive rebounders for the Tide, averaging 1.7 per game in the season and 1.5 in conference play.
He had a game-leading four offensive rebounds in the previous game against Auburn.
With Nelson having four offensive boards and 12 total rebounds in the last game, I prefer his line at 6.5 over Omoruyi’s line of 7.5. When Nelson has stayed out of foul trouble, he has racked up the boards in recent games.
He played 30 minutes in the last matchup, and I like his chances of staying on the court again and getting at least seven rebounds.
Alabama vs Auburn same-game parlay (SGP)
Grant Nelson Over 6.5 rebounds
Miles Kelly Over 4.5 rebounds
Chaney Johnson Over 10.5 points
To go with our best bet, I am going to take another rebounder, but this time for the Tigers. The line for Broome is a little risky, given his recent games, so I am going with the other big rebounder from the previous matchup in Miles Kelly.
Kelly averages 4.6 rebounds per game in conference play and will play a lot more minutes in a matchup like this one, where foul trouble will hit some of the guys that may take his minutes.
He played 32 minutes against Alabama earlier this season and only had two fouls, while Dylan Cardwell and Chad Baker-Mazara both fouled out and combined for 36 minutes.
Finally, I am going to add Auburn guard Chaney Johnson to hit his point total off the bench. He played 33 minutes in the last matchup and had 14 points.
Johnson also gets his points inside the three-point arc, and the Tide allows 53.3% of their opponent’s points from two-point range, which ranks 319th in the country.
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Alabama vs Auburn odds
Alabama vs Auburn live odds
Alabama vs Auburn opening odds
- Spread: Alabama +7.5 (-115) | Auburn -7.5 (-105)
- Moneyline: Alabama (+260) | Auburn (-325)
- Over/Under: Over 178.5 (-105) | Under 178.5 (-115)
Odds courtesy of bet365
Alabama vs Auburn betting trend to know
Auburn has hit the Team Total Over in 22 of their last 35 games. Find more college basketball betting trends for Alabama vs. Auburn.
How to watch Alabama vs Auburn
| Location | Neville Arena, Auburn, AL |
| Date | Saturday, 3-8-2025 |
| Tip-off | 2:30 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN |
Alabama vs Auburn key injuries
Not intended for use in MA.
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