The Alabama Crimson Tide have a good shot at a Final Four run and have been an exciting team to watch this season. They will be matched up with the UCLA Bruins, who have won three games so far in the NCAA Tournament against Michigan State, BYU and Abilene Christian.
Before getting into the matchup and whether or not we agree or disagree with the betting public, here’s a look at the odds history of both teams as we get closer to tip off.
And here are the odds and bet splits for No. 11 UCLA vs. No. 2 Alabama in the Sweet 16 of the 2021 NCAA Tournament from DraftKings Sportsbook:
Against The Spread
UCLA: +6.5 (32% of handle, 36% of bets)
Alabama: -6.5 (68% of handle, 61% of bets)
Is the public right?
Yes, Alabama has a very good chance to cover this spread. The Crimson Tide have a significant advantage on the defensive end of the floor, which is impressive considering how much they push the pace. The Bruins haven’t seen all that quality of opponents to this point in the tournament, and they will see a significant jump in talent when they see Alabama.
Moneyline
UCLA: +215 (35% of handle, 31% of bets)
Alabama: -265 (65% of handle, 69% of bets)
Is the public right?
Yes, I’d be pretty shocked if Alabama does not leave this game with a victory. Sometimes that’s difficult to say about a team that leads the country in three-point attempts by far, more than 100 more than the team with the second most attempts, but they have the defense that can keep them in the game if the threes aren’t falling. Let’s go with the Tide to get to the Elite Eight.
Point Total
Over: 145.5 (80% of handle, 77% of bets)
Under: 145.5 (20% of handle, 23% of bets)
Is the public right?
This will be a matchup between two completely different teams in terms of pace. Alabama will look to go as fast as possible with the 16th most possessions per game in the country, while UCLA ranks No. 296 in this category. The Crimson Tide are a very difficult team to slow down, so let’s assume the game is played at their pace in which case, this over is going to hit, so the public is on the right side on this one.
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