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It’s time for the Sweet 16 in the men’s NCAA Tournament, and in our latest NCAAB betting picks, we are looking at the match between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the BYU Cougars. The Crimson Tide is a 4.5-point betting favorite.
- What: 2025 Men’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
- Who: Alabama Crimson Tide vs. BYU Cougars
- Where: Prudential Center, Newark, New York
- When: Thursday, March 27th, 2025
- Tip-Off: 6.09 pm ET
The No.2 Crimson Tide are up against the BYU Cougars in the NCAA Tournament East Region.
Alabama has had a relatively smooth passage to the Sweet 16. Nate Oats’ team defeated the No.15 Robert Morris Colonials 90-81 in the first round and the No.7 Saint Mary’s Gaels 80-66 in round two.
The Cougars have had a slightly trickier passage to the Sweet 16. They comfortably defeated the No.11 VCU Rams 80-71 in round two, but things were a lot trickier in the second round, with the Cougars winning a tight match against the No.3 Wisconsin Badgers by just two points (91-89).
Alabama is the +350 second-betting favorite to win the East Region. BYU are the outsiders at +850. The favorites are Duke at -180. Arizona at +700 completes the betting.
Now let’s take a closer look at the latest betting for the Sweet 16 showdown.
Alabama Crimson Tide vs. BYU Cougars Betting
The best March Madness betting sites don’t expect any major shocks in this match.
The Crimson Tide are -185 to win on the money line and reach the Elite Eight for a second successive year. BYU is +155 on the money line to defeat another higher-seeded team.
The bookmakers are giving the Cougars a 4.5-point start on the handicap spread. To win with the advantage, BYU is -110. The Crimson Tide are -110 to win by five points or more and cover the spread.
The total line is set at 174.5. Both over and under is -110.
The two teams averaged a combined 172 points per match this season. Matches involving the Crimson Tide have covered 175 points or more 16 times this term. The Cougars have been involved in matches with over 174.5 points on five occasions.
There are more Alabama Crimson Tide vs. BYU Cougars betting lines on our college basketball odds table. Our NCAAB odds are taken from the best college basketball betting sites.
| Alabama vs. BYU |  |  |  |
| Alabama | -185 | -185 | -185 |
| BYU | +155 | +155 | +155 |
| Alabama (-4.5) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| BYU (+4.5) | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Over 174.5 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
| Under 174.5 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
Alabama Crimson Tide
The No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide is 27-8 this season, they finished third in the SEC points table with a 13-5 record.
Nate Oats’ team is on a winning streak of two. The Crimson Tide started their campaign with a nine-point win over Robert Morris in the first round. Mark Sears was the standout performer in the 90-81 win with 22 points, ten assists, and five rebounds.
Things were arguably easier for Alabama in round two when Nate Oats’ team faced the No.7 Saint Mary’s Gaels.
A strong first-half performance saw the Crimson Tide open up a 13-point lead (42-29). Chris Youngblood led the way with 13 points.
Youngblood was well supported by Mark Sears, Grant Nelson, and Aden Holloway, who all scored 12 points each as Alabama eased to an 80-66 win.
The Crimson Tide is +1600 to win the NCAA Championship match.
BYU Cougars
The BYU Cougars finished the regular season T3 in the Big 12 with a 14-6 record in conference play.
BYU defeated Iowa State 96-92 in the quarter-final of the Big 12 Tournament. Their bid to win the title ended with a 74-54 humbling by the Houston Cougars in the semifinals.
The match was effectively over at the halfway point with Houston 21 points clear (41-20). BYU could only gain one point back in the second period against the number one seeds.
In the NCAA Tournament, Kevin Young’s team defeated VCU 80-71 in the first round. Richie Saunders top-scored for the Cougars with 16 points in the nine-point victory.
Richie Saunders again top-scored for his team in the second round. Saunders scored 25 points for the Cougars in their extraordinary 91-89 win over the No.3 Wisconsin at the weekend.
The Cougars were in the lead for the whole match. They were 47-36 up at the halfway point, but a stunning second-half comeback by Wisconsin saw BYU hanging on to the win in a nail-biting finish.
The Cougars are +7000 to win the NCAA Championship.
Alabama Crimson Tide vs. BYU Cougars Betting Picks
The Crimson Tide is 27-8, the Cougars are 26-9, and both teams are on winning streaks of two.
Alabama is one of the schools with a chance of going all the way, the Cougars have pretty much reached their limit.
With Kevin Young in charge, the Cougars certainly have a coach who knows how to win big matches. But the Crimson Tide reached the Final Four last year and Nate Oats and his team are another year older and wiser.
Our pick is for the Crimson Tide to win and cover the spread.
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