The BYU Cougars take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in the Sweet 16. Tip-off is set for 7:09 p.m. ET on CBS.
Alabama is favored by 5.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -230. The total is set at 175.5 points.
Here’s my BYU vs. Alabama predictions and college basketball picks for March 27, 2025.
BYU vs Alabama Prediction
My Pick: Over 175.5 (Play to 178.5)
My BYU vs Alabama best bet is on the over, with the best odds currently available at DraftKings. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
BYU vs Alabama Odds, Lines
| BYU Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+5 -110 | 175.5 -110o / -110u | +175 |
| Alabama Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-5 -110 | 175.5 -110o / -110u | -210 |
- BYU vs Alabama spread: Alabama -5
- BYU vs Alabama over/under: 175.5 points
- BYU vs Alabama moneyline: Alabama -210, BYU +175
- BYU vs Alabama best bet: Over 175.5 (Play to 178.5)
My BYU vs Alabama Sweet 16 Betting Preview
The fireworks in this game should be pretty entertaining.
The BYU Cougars survived a nearly disastrous blown double-digit lead against Wisconsin in the second round, as Mawot Mag locked up Wisconsin’s John Tonje to seal the game.
Things were less hairy for Alabama. The Crimson Tide made pretty easy work of Saint Mary’s, winning by 14.
In general, BYU and Alabama are mirror images of one another. Kevin Young is a very modern coach who comes from the NBA ranks, while Alabama’s Nate Oats was an early adopter of the rim-and-3 offense.
The Tide will take a layup or shoot a 3; there’s nothing in the mid-range for Alabama. The same goes for the Cougars, who have attempted a 3 on 48.5% of their shots since February 1.
I just don’t see how this game hits the under. The path lines up perfectly for a shootout, barring BYU and Alabama shooting the ball uncharacteristically poorly.
I find that hard to believe, though. BYU has allowed opponents to shoot 35% from 3 since February 1 and Alabama has allowed opponents to shoot 32.2%. Neither number is great, so that should lead to some good looks from deep for both sides.
BYU has shooters everywhere on the floor, leading to a 37.5% 3-point percentage since February 1. Standout wing Richie Saunders is BYU’s best player and shooter, but Trevin Knell, Dawson Baker, Dallin Hall and Mag each shoot above 36% from deep.
I like how BYU’s Egor Demin matches up here. The 6-foot-8 point guard tends to struggle against teams that pressure the ball and force turnovers — neither of which are things Alabama wants to do.
That means Demin should be able to operate in pick-and-rolls in the half court and run in transition in the full court. He’s the X-factor to everything BYU does.
Coach Kevin Young has switched defense at times in this tournament. He switched to zone for most of the VCU game, which is likely a result of the Cougars' defense ranking 65th in efficiency since February 1.
But is anything really an easy path to stopping the nation’s best offense? It’s all about keeping pace with the Tide or praying for a poor shooting night.
The one positive to going zone is cutting off Mark Sears from getting into the lane. Most of Sears’ damage comes from driving and finishing or kicking to open teammates.
That’s all great news for this handicap, as the more points scored is better for us.
Sears is the best player on Alabama’s roster, as he's posting 18.6 points and 5.0 assists per game. He also has shooters around him to help his elite passing pay off. Chris Youngblood and Aden Holloway are vastly important, shooting 39.7% and 41% from 3, respectively.
The interior matchup is interesting, too. On paper, BYU is much smaller than the Tide. However, Keba Keita is probably the most athletic 6-foot-9 center in America, and Fousseyni Traore is built like a linebacker.
I trust both to hang with the more slender, athletic Crimson Tide interior that features Clifford Omoruyi, Grant Nelson, Jarin Stevenson and the super glue guy, Mouhamed Dioubate.
The total has gone a bit haywire. It opened at 173.5 and now sits at 175.5. That’s basically saying both of these teams will score in or near the 90-point range.
Given the fact that my pick is the over, I think this becomes a total shootout.
The Cougars scored 90+ points in 10 games this year, and the Crimson Tide hit that threshold 19 times.
I expect the total to go up even more. Alabama plays at the fastest tempo in the country, and BYU is top-100 in tempo since February 1.
I’ll gladly grab the total at anything below 179.
