The Charleston Cougars (27-7) and Alabama Crimson Tide (21-11) meet Friday for an NCAA Tournament 1st-round game. Tip-off from the Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, Wash., is scheduled for approximately 7:35 p.m. ET (truTV). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s'lines around the Charleston vs. Alabama odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
The 13-seeded Cougars of the Coastal Athletic Association, formerly the Colonial, won 3 games in its conference tournament to punch its ticket to the Big Dance. Charleston topped Towson by just 5 in the semifinals, and it edged Stony Brook in OT by just 3 in the final. It has failed to cover the past 2 outings after a 5-0 against the spread (ATS) run.
Charleston faced 3 teams in the NCAA Tournament field, losing by 18 points to Duquesne and by 9 points to Vermont in neutral-site games, while falling by 16 at FAU. The Cougars are also 0-3 ATS in 3 games against NCAA Tournament teams this season.
The 4th-seeded Crimson Tide struggled down the stretch, dropped 4 of the past 6 games, including its 1st game of the SEC Tournament against Florida. The Crimson Tide is also 0-4 ATS in the past 4 games, and 1-6 ATS in the previous 7 outings.