Two of the more surprising teams in college basketball will meet Saturday in the Big 12/SEC Challenge. Ninth-ranked Alabama will travel to Norman to take on No. 24 Oklahoma.

The Sooners should climb the rankings next week with their upset win over No. 5 Texas on Tuesday night. The Sooners are now 10-4 overall and playing at home at the Lloyd Noble Center has been very good to the Sooners. They are 8-1 at home this season.

What is interesting is that both teams have been very good to bettors. Both teams have winning records against the spread making this a difficult choice.

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Game: Alabama Crimson Tide (14-3, 11-5-1 ATS) at Oklahoma Sooners (10-4, 9-4-1 ATS)

When: 12:00 PM ET, Saturday, January 30, 2021

Where: Lloyd Noble Center, Norman, Oklahoma

Current Line:  OFF    Total: OFF

TV Coverage: ESPN2

Surprise, Surprise

Other than Texas, who Oklahoma just beat, Alabama might be the biggest surprise of the 2020-21 college basketball season. Head coach Nate Oats has turned the Tide program around in just his second season.

Alabama is coming off an impressive win of its own - 70-59 over Kentucky. Oats and company swept the season series with Kentucky and the Tide also owns a 71-63 victory over a ranked Tennessee team that was favored to win the SEC.

The Tide is an up-tempo, guard-heavy offense led in scoring by 6-5 senior John Petty Jr. (13.9 ppg). He is one of four Alabama players that average in double figures. Jaden Shackleford, a 6-3 sophomore, scored 21 in the win over Kentucky. Shackleford averages 13.5 points a game.

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Good Matchups

Oklahoma will match up well with Alabama. Senior guard Austin Reaves leads the Sooners averaging 15.8 points per game. Reaves hit two game-clinching free throws in the win over Texas on Tuesday. At 6-5, Reaves also leads the Sooners in rebounding (5.1) and assists (5.1). 

The Big 12 schedule has been brutal for the Sooners who played No. 2 Baylor and a then-No. 6 Kansas back-to-back earlier in the season. Oklahoma lost both games and also lost to a ranked Texas Tech team by two points.

As mentioned, the Sooners are 8-1 at home. They have covered the spread in six of their last seven games and they are 7-2 ATS at home. However, in their last two games outside of the Big 12 - Oral Roberts and Houston Baptist - the Sooners failed to cover.

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Alabama will come to Norman with an impressive road record. The Crimson Tide has yet to lose away from home going a perfect 4-0. With the higher ranking, it is likely the Tide will be a slight favorite on Saturday. 

The Tide is 8-1-1 ATS in their last ten games and 5-1-1 ATS when playing as the favorite. They are also 3-0-1 ATS when playing on the road. This is shaping up to be a good live betting game. Watch the flow and wager accordingly.

This has all the makings of a one-possession game with a likely spread of Alabama -3. Play the Tide up to -5. Alabama’s only ATS loss in its last ten games came last Saturday. The Tide was a 9.5-point favorite over Mississippi State. They won by eight.

NCAAB Free Pick:  Alabama up to -5

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