The Grand Canyon Antelopes (30-4) and Alabama Crimson Tide (22-11) meet Sunday in 2nd-round action in the NCAA Tournament. Tip-off from the Spokane (Wash.) Veterans Memorial Arena is slated for 7:10 p.m. ET (TBS). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s'lines around the Grand Canyon vs. Alabama odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
Grand Canyon picked up its 1st-ever NCAA Tournament victory on Friday night against Saint Mary’s, as the 12th seed upset the 5th seed in Spokane. The Antelopes won 75-66 as 5.5-point underdogs as the Over (132) cashed. That’s 6 straight victories and covers since consecutive losses in the WAC on the road against Tarleton State and Abilene Christian Feb. 22-24.
The SEC has had an ugly NCAA Tournament, but Alabama was able to avoid the upset bug with a 109-96 win over Charleston in the opening round, covering as 8.5-point favorites as the Over (172.5) easily connected. Bama shot a blistering 60% (36 of 60) from the field, including 57% (13 of 23) from behind the 3-point line.
If there was a concern for Alabama in the 1st game, it managed just a 65% (24 of 37) mark from the free-throw line. It can’t leave that many points on the floor in a close game. Mark Sears did his part at the line, though, hitting 9 of 11, finishing with a team-best 30 points with 5 assists and 4 rebounds, while knocking down 3 triples.