No. 8 Creighton is set to hit the road for the Holidays, and a compelling matchup awaits as the Blue Jays face Mark Sears and the Alabama Crimson Tide in the latest college basketball odds.
Creighton aims to continue a home winning streak from last season, having secured six consecutive victories. Despite a surprising loss to UNLV earlier this week, the team is determined to bounce back and make it seven in a row in Omaha.
What's the best bet in this one? Find out in our college basketball picks and predictions for Alabama vs. Creighton on Saturday, December 16.
Alabama vs Creighton best odds
Alabama vs Creighton picks and predictions
Alabama point guard Mark Sears is playing the best basketball of his career. He's scored over 20 points in three of his last four games and just came off one of the best games in his career when he put up 35 on Purdue.
"Sears has played in these big games," Crimson Tide coach Nate Oats said of a player who was part of last season's Sweet 16 team. "He has got the advantage a little bit. We played in a lot of big games last year."
Sears has been playing with unbelievable confidence and looks like a player at the height of his game. Tonight, he'll head into a matchup where a win could significantly boost his team's tournament resume.
Situationally, you couldn't ask for a better spot for Sears. Creighton comes into this matchup ranked in the bottom 16% of the country in pick-and-roll defense, allowing nearly a point per possession and 42% shooting against opponents that run these sets.
Sears ranks in the Top 20% of pick-and-roll scoring and is one of the best shooters in the SEC. He should have a reasonably easy time exploiting this matchup and getting downhill against a defense that could have been better at the rim. Creighton has also allowed 68% shooting at that rim — only 10 teams in college basketball have been worse than this.
Outside of the pick-and-roll, Sears can finish this prop off with some work from three. Spot-up defending is another place where Creighton is remotely average, and Bama excels. As you might imagine, Sears is quite good here, shooting an eye-popping 59% on spot-up sets.
Sears flourishes in the open court, and we should surpass the 75-possession mark tonight with two teams that have no issues playing fast.
My best bet: Mark Sears Over 17.5 points (+102 at FanDuel)
Alabama vs Creighton same-game parlay
Mark Sears Over 17.5 points
Alabama moneyline
We love the Tide in this spot and will pair them with our best bet for this SGP.
"Oats Ball," commonly referred to, is about two things: getting shots at the rim or taking threes. It's an analytical approach to the game that's not revolutionary, but perhaps nobody is more committed to it than the Tide.
We've previously highlighted their challenges at the rim, but there's potential for this team to excel in defending the 3-point line, given their above-average allowance rate.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Alabama vs Creighton spread and Over/Under analysis
We like Alabama to get the job here outright, as discussed above. I won't place a separate bet on it, but I'm comfortable with it in my same-game parlay.
I think the Tide should be able to do a good enough job of slowing down Creighton from beyond the perimeter as they're due for a slight positive regression from opponent shooting.
Meanwhile, it's relatively impossible to lean towards anything but the Over on the total given the handicap that I've outlined above.
Each team is extremely good on offense, and each defense leaves more to be desired. That makes this handicap pretty simple, especially when you throw in an expected blistering pace.
I'm on the Over for a full unit and would play it all the way up to 167.5.
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Alabama vs Creighton betting trend to know
Alabama has hit the moneyline in 23 of its last 31 games (+5.85 Units / 3% ROI). Find more college basketball betting trends for Alabama vs. Creighton.
Not intended for use in MA.
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Alabama vs Creighton game info
| Location: | CHI Health Center, Omaha, NE |
| Date: | Saturday, December 16, 2023 |
| Tip-off: | 8:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | FOX |
Alabama vs Creighton key injuries
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