Alabama vs Sam Houston Prediction 11/3/26 College Basketball Picks Today

Alabama vs Sam Houston Prediction

I’ll probably just stick with Alabama. The Tide should have a pretty good team on the floor this year, and with their roster they’ve earned a national ranking coming into the season. Alabama likely won’t shoot as well as they did last year (No. 2 in the country with an average of 12.9 made 3-pointers per game) but they’ve got all the goods for another deep NCAA Tournament run this season if all goes according to plan.

As for Sam Houston, they only have one starter returning to the fold this year. That’s point guard Justin Begg, who was shelved with a foot injury with just 11 games to go last season. Begg averaged 9.5 PPG in 2025-26 and should be a focal point of the Bearkats’ attack this year. The team looks decent on paper but could be a little thin in the frontcourt. If all goes well Sam Houston may do a bit of damage in the conference standings but I don’t think they’ll blow anyone away, especially with a pretty tough schedule in the early-going. That tough schedule picks up here against a talented Alabama squad.

Game Info, Stats and Previews

The Sam Houston Bearkats and the Alabama Crimson Tide meet Tuesday in college basketball action from Coleman Coliseum. Here’s a collection of relevant information and reasoning for a sound Alabama vs Sam Houston prediction. We have looked at this information from a betting perspective and attempted to determine the best Alabama vs Sam Houston pick.

Sam Houston Bearkats Betting Preview

Sam Houston had a pretty decent season overall in 2025-26, but their postseason run ended quickly. The Bearkats would ultimately go 22-12 overall with a 13-7 run in Conference USA games. That result would put the team in second place among the standings behind only Liberty. Sam Houston managed to beat New Mexico State in the Conference USA Tournament but then fell to Kennesaw State in game two. In the NIT, the Bearkats lost to New Mexico in the first round of the tourney.

Heading into the 2026-27 season, the Bearkats will put head coach Chris Mudge back on the sideline for his fourth season at the helm. Sam Houston was picked to finish fourth in the CUSA preseason poll, behind Western Kentucky, Kennesaw State and Liberty. Much of that is due to the Bearkats retaining only one starter from last year’s squad. All five players who averaged double-digit points last season have departed through graduation or transfer.

Alabama Crimson Tide Betting Preview

Over on the Alabama side, they had a pretty good run themselves a season ago. The Crimson Tide managed to get to 25-10 overall with a 13-5 stretch in SEC play. That effort was good enough to put Alabama in second place behind only Florida. The Tide’s SEC Tournament run ended quickly with an opening-game loss to Ole Miss, but they found their stride in the national tourney with wins over Hofstra and Texas Tech. In the Sweet Sixteen, Alabama finally fell to Michigan 90-77, ending their season for good.

Looking ahead to 2026-27, the Tide have head coach Nate Oats back on the sideline for his eighth season. Alabama will lose a few key starters this season, namely Labaron Philon, Aiden Sherrell and Latrell Wrightsell. Amari Allen will slot in to replace go-to guy Philon, and he’s coming off a selection for the SEC’s five-man all-freshman team. Allen also won the freshman of the week award three times and scored in double-digits over 20 games last season.

Why the Alabama Crimson Tide will win

• Alabama has won 31 of its last 33 games against non-Conference opponents at Coleman Coliseum.
• Sam Houston State has lost each of its last six Tuesday night road games against non-Conference opponents.

Why the Sam Houston State Bearkats will win

• Sam Houston State has won 10 of its last 12 night games against non-AP-ranked opponents.