The Oregon Ducks and the Alabama Crimson Tide meet Saturday in college basketball action from the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Here’s an Alabama vs Oregon prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Alabama vs Oregon pick.
Oregon Ducks Betting Preview
Oregon has been on a solid run so far, winning each of their first seven games. The Ducks have taken out UC Riverside, Montana, Portland, Troy, Oregon State, Texas A&M and San Diego State in succession so far.
On Wednesday versus San Diego State, the Ducks jumped out to a 41-31 edge by the second half. Oregon maintained the pace from there in a 78-68 win. TJ Bamba led the team on 22 points with five assists in the victory.
Alabama Crimson Tide Betting Preview
Over on the Alabama side, they’ve gotten off to a solid start themselves, with a nine-point loss to Purdue as their only blemish. Otherwise it’s been wins over UNC Asheville, Arkansas State, McNeese State, Illinois, Houston and Rutgers.
In the Rutgers game on Wednesday, the Tide held a 41-41 tie in the locker room. Alabama hit their stride in the second half on a 54-49 run and took the victory 95-90 in the end. Mark Sears posted 24 points with five assists and a pair of rebounds to set the pace.
Why the Alabama Crimson Tide will win
- Alabama has won each of its last seven games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
- Oregon has lost five of its last six games against Top 10 AP-ranked opponents.
- Oregon has lost the first half in nine of its last 10 games against AP-ranked opponents at a neutral venue.
Why the Oregon Ducks will win
- Oregon has won each of its last seven games.
- Oregon has won the first half in four of its last five games at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Alabama vs Oregon Prediction
I’ll lean toward Oregon. The Ducks have looked quite formidable so far this year, with only one or two relative close calls. Oregon is coming off a great rebounding performance versus San Diego State with a 41-24 advantage (16-6 offensive). That dominance on the glass helped offset 15 turnovers and 50.9 percent shooting allowed on the other side. Oregon has just one game decided by less than a double-digit margin this year (78-75 versus Oregon State), but this will likely be their toughest test so far.
As for Alabama, they had trouble shaking a pesky Rutgers team in their last outing. The Tide shot just 25-of-36 (69.4 percent) from the line with 20 turnovers in that five-point victory, but owned the stat sheet pretty much everywhere else. Alabama has poured in 85 or more points in three straight games—but given up 80 or more in each of those as well. Saturday’s matchup is looking like a high-flying, must-watch affair. I like Oregon to eke out a cover in the end, and maybe even win.