The No. 1-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide begin their quest for a national title when they take on the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders in a first-round contest in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday in Birmingham, Ala.
Alabama is the top overall seed in the Big Dance, and one of the top March Madness picks after finishing atop the Southeastern Conference college basketball standings as well as winning the SEC Tournament.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi already has a win under its belt in the Big Dance, having defeated Southeast Missouri State in a First Four contest on Tuesday, its 13th win in its last 14 contests.
While this looks like one of the biggest mismatches among the NCAA basketball games today, we’re going to take a closer look to help us determine our best Alabama vs Texas A&M-Corpus Christi prediction.
Alabama vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Alabama vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Information
Alabama Crimson Tide vs Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders
Location: Legacy Arena at BJCC, Birmingham, AL.
Date and Time: Thursday, March 16, 2023, 2:45 PM ET.
How to Watch: CBS
Updates for Alabama vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Alabama has been one of the favorites on almost any NCAA March Madness bracket, and rightfully so after they have been one of the top NCAA basketball teams all season long. The Crimson Tide are on a three-game winning streak and have dropped just five games throughout their NCAAB schedule this season.
Freshman forward Brandon Miller has been one of the breakout college basketball players this season, averaging 19.6 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting 40.1% from 3-point range. Miller had 23 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and three steals in the Crimson Tide’s SEC Tournament title game win over Texas A&M on Sunday.
Guard Mark Sears is the second-leading scorer for the Crimson Tide on the season at 12.5 points per game, but he’s scored a total of just 20 points over the last four contests. Senior guard Jahvon Quinerly had a big game in the SEC tournament championship game, finishing with 22 points.
Islanders Look to Build on First Four Win and Upset Alabama
While they might not have some of the most-known college basketball players in the country, the Islanders play as a team, and they were able to pull out a four-point win in their First Four contest with Southeast Missouri State. Now Texas A&M-Corpus Christi makes a major step up in competition against the Crimson Tide, hoping to shock the world.
Senior guard Trevian Tennyson leads the Islanders in scoring with 15.6 points per game.
Forward Isaac Mushila must have a big game against the very tall Alabama front line.
Mushila is averaging 14.4 points and 9.7 rebounds while shooting 54.8% from the floor, and he had a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds in Tuesday’s win over Southeast Missouri State.
A big entry on the college basketball injury report for the Islanders is guard Terrion Murdix, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Southland Conference Tournament title game.
Alabama vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Betting Preview
As you are making your best Alabama vs Texas A&M-Corpus Christi prediction, you will have to give 24 points if you want to take the Crimson Tide with a point-spread bet. You can get -110 odds on either side of that wager.
The over/under has been set at 155 points, with -110 odds also listed for either sides of the bet on the March Madness betting odds.
Alabama vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Betting Prediction
It’s hard not to have your NCAAB picks include a No. 1 seed routing a No. 16 seed. The easiest Alabama vs Texas A&M-Corpus Christi prediction to make is to take the favored Crimson Tide, though it is quite a point spread when you look at the NCAAB odds.
Still, the height and length of the Crimson Tide is going to be very hard for the Islanders to overcome, so take the safe bet and go with Alabama.
Betting on this event:
Go with Alabama to cover at -110. As for the correct score, go with Alabama Crimson Tide 92 – 66 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
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