The North Alabama Lions and the Lipscomb Bisons meet Sunday in Atlantic Sun Tournament college basketball action from Allen Arena. Here’s a Lipscomb vs North Alabama prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Lipscomb vs North Alabama pick.
North Alabama Lions Betting Preview
Outside of a couple of choppy runs, it’s been a pretty solid year overall for North Alabama. The Lions only have one instance of consecutive losses so far, and those came back in mid-November as part of a spotty 2-4 run. Since those half-dozen games North Alabama has looked much better, kicking things off with a 6-3 stretch that featured losses to Loyola Marymount, Florida Gulf Coast and Jacksonville. The Lions would beat North Florida, Lipscomb and Austin Peay before another loss to Queens U. Since then it’s been a lone loss to Lipscomb on February 20 among wins otherwise versus Central Arkansas, Austin Peay, West Georgia, North Florida, Jacksonville, West Georgia, Central Arkansas, Queens U, Austin Peay and Jacksonville in succession. That gives the Lions a 24-9 overall run across 33 games so far this year.
In the Jacksonville matchup on Thursday, the Lions entered the second half with a 35-23 edge. North Alabama kept it rolling from there on a 43-40 run and took the win in the end 78-63. Tops in scoring was Jacari Lane with 19 points, six assists and two rebounds. Daniel Ortiz added 18 points with four rebounds, while Corneilous Williams managed a double-double on 10 points with 12 rebounds and a steal in 37 minutes of action on the floor during the victory.
Lipscomb Bisons Betting Preview
Over on the Lipscomb side, they started out pretty rough but they’ve been great since early in the season. The Bisons lost four of their first six games, then took out Jackson State, Alabama A&M, Chattanooga, Southeast Missouri State and Truett-McConnell before a loss to Middle Tennessee. Wins over Asbury, Jacksonville, North Florida, West Georgia, Bellarmine and Austin Peay came in the next seven games, then losses to North Alabama and Eastern Kentucky in the next trio. Since then it’s been a lone loss to Eastern Kentucky among wins over Bellarmine, West Georgia, Queens, U, Stetson, Florida Gulf Coast, North Alabama, Austin Peay, Central Arkansas (twice) and Queens U. In total over 33 games that gives the Bisons a 24-9 record.
Matched up against Queens U at home Thursday, the Bisons entered the locker room with a one-point edge. Lipscomb ended up needing overtime to power out an 81-75 win in the end. Topping the scorers was Joe Anderson with 25 points, five steals and four assists in the victory.
Why the Lipscomb Bisons will win
- Lipscomb has won each of its last seven home games.
- North Alabama has lost four of its last five games at Allen Arena.
- Lipscomb has won the first half in each of its last seven home games against the ASUN Conference.
Why the North Alabama Lions will win
- North Alabama has won 10 of its last 11 games.
- Lipscomb has lost nine of its last 12 games following an overtime win.
- North Alabama has won the first half in 10 of its last 11 games against the ASUN Conference.
Matchup/League Facts
- Lipscomb ranks 3rd among Division 1 teams for opponent free throws made per game this season (8.5).
- Lipscomb ranks 3rd among Division 1 teams for opponent free throw attempts per game this season (12.7).
- North Alabama ranks 1st among Division 1 teams for turnover percentage this season (10.9%).
- North Alabama ranks 2nd among Division 1 teams for turnovers per game this season (8.7).
Lipscomb vs North Alabama Prediction
I’m going to lean toward North Alabama in this one, but you could make a case either way. We should have a great matchup here, and it’ll be a fun one to watch. The Lions didn’t have too much issue with Jacksonville in their latest win, shooting a nice 49 percent from the field with a 36-32 rebounding edge, 21-of-29 (72.4 percent) from the line and just six turnovers. That gives North Alabama four straight wins with 74 or more points in each of those outings.
These teams split the season series, with North Alabama taking the win 74-64 at home on January 23 and Lipscomb returning the favor in a home victory on February 20 by a score of 75-63. That defeat is North Alabama’s only loss in the last 11 games, and they’ve scored 74 or more points in all of the other 10 outings. The Lions shot a tepid 42.3 percent from the field in that defeat, while giving up 50 percent shooting to the Bisons alongside a 33-28 rebounding deficit. North Alabama could use a shot in the arm offensively here, but it should be a fairly high total in the end. I like the Lions to power one out in an entertaining matchup.