These two SEC top contenders are fighting for one of the top seeds in the SEC Tournament and a possible one seed in the NCAA Tournament.
It is only fitting for March to start with the Alabama Crimson Tide heading to Knoxville to take on the Tennessee Volunteers.
It will be a true clash of styles as the best-scoring offense in the nation takes on the most efficient defense in the country.
Find out why my Alabama vs. Tennessee predictions see both teams having plenty of rebounding opportunities, no matter whose style wins out in my college basketball picks for Saturday, March 1.
Alabama vs Tennessee prediction
My best bet
Clifford Omoruyi Over 6.5 rebounds (-110 at bet365)
My analysis
These two teams are both excellent rebounding teams, but for very different reasons. The Alabama Crimson Tide both get and allow a ton of rebounds due to their quick pace.
They rank 19th in offensive rebounding and first in both defensive and total rebounding in the country. However, they also rank 358th in opponent offensive rebounding and 295th in opponent defensive rebounding.
The reason for these numbers is that they rank first in the country in possessions per game and 11th in field goal attempts. They also rank 364th in field goal attempts allowed.
The fast pace creates a ton of rebounding opportunities on both ends of the court.
Meanwhile, the Tennessee Volunteers rank 70th in offensive rebounding and 62nd in total rebounding. They also rank 202nd in opponent offensive rebounding.
The reason Tennessee have so many rebounding opportunities, though, is because of their excellent defense. So even in a slow pace – they rank 313th in possessions per game – they still have rebounding opportunities due to poor shooting percentages on both ends.
Both teams have an excellent rebounding percentage, with Bama ranked 17th in the country and Tennessee ranked 14th. With no real edge on either side but still a strong likelihood we will see plenty of rebounding opportunities, I am going with the most consistent option, and that is Crimson Tide center Clifford Omoruyi.
Omoruyi averages 6.8 rebounds on the season, but that number is raised to 7.3 in SEC play, which leads the team. He has gotten at least seven rebounds in three of his past four games, including two games with double digit boards.
He also leads the team in offensive rebounding at 2.1 per game on the season and 2.5 in SEC play.
The biggest issue for Tennessee in the rebounding department is allowing offensive boards. The Tide will be launching threes and most likely those will be more contested than usual.
This will give Omoruyi plenty of chances to get on the offensive glass and if he gets two or three on offense, then I love his chances to surpass six boards overall.
Alabama vs Tennessee same-game parlay (SGP)
Clifford Omoruyi Over 6.5 rebounds
Felix Okpara Over 6.5 rebounds
Zakai Zeigler Over 1.5 threes
To go with our best bet, I am going to take another rebounder, but this time for the Volunteers. I will also take the best offensive rebounder for the Vols and that is Felix Okpara.
Okpara averages 2.4 offensive boards per game and 6.7 total rebounds in conference play.
The Tide allows 12.8 offensive boards per game, and Okpara will be down low to get plenty of misses from the many threes that will be attempted on both ends. He had seven rebounds in each of the last two games.
Finally, I am going to add Tennessee point guard Zakai Zeigler to make at least two threes. The Tide only allows opponents to shoot 29.9% from three, but they also allow 23.9 attempts per game, which ranks 259th.
He has made at least two threes in four of his last six games and has attempted 23 over that span.
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Alabama vs Tennessee odds
Alabama vs Tennessee live odds
Alabama vs Tennessee opening odds
- Spread: Alabama +3.5 (-110) | Tennessee -3.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Alabama (+145) | Tennessee (-175)
- Over/Under: Over 159 (-110) | Under 159 (-110)
Odds courtesy of bet365
Alabama vs Tennessee betting trend to know
Tennessee have covered the Spread in 20 of their last 37 games. Find more college basketball betting trends for Alabama vs. Tennessee.
How to watch Alabama vs Tennessee
| Location | Food City Center, Knoxville, TN |
| Date | Saturday, 3-1-2025 |
| Tip-off | 4:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN |
Alabama vs Tennessee key injuries
Not intended for use in MA.
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