Two explosive offenses will meet in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament when BYU and Alabama do battle on Thursday, March 27, 2025. Both teams in this BYU vs Alabama matchup are ranked in the top-10 in offensive efficiency according to Kenpom. As a result, a high-scoring and entertaining affair is expected in a game that will decide one of the participants in Saturday’s East regional final.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Alabama is a 3.5-point favorite ahead of this game between Big 12 and SEC teams. They have set the total for the game at 171.5 points. Here, you can read on to get our keys to this Sweet 16 game and you can also find our prediction for this game in the betting markets, as we look to continue what has been a profitable NCAA Tournament for us thus far.
BYU Ready For Shootout With Alabama
The BYU Cougars have been electrifying in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. They put forth a strong offensive performance against a very good defensive team in VCU in round one. They followed that up by getting off to a fast start against Wisconsin in a game where they barely held on down the stretch in one of the most entertaining games of this year’s tournament. Here, BYU’s offense will look to light up the scoreboard again for a spot in the Elite 8.
So far in this tournament, Richie Saunders has been the driving force behind BYU’s offensive output. Saunders has averaged 20.5 points per game and is shooting 53% from the field through the first two rounds. Saunders’ efficiency will be key again in this game as BYU will need as much offense as they can muster to beat a team as good as the Crimson Tide.
Can Alabama Shut Down BYU Offense?
Alabama got off to a rough start in this year’s NCAA Tournament, struggling for most of their game against Robert Morris before pulling away late. But they steadied the ship in round two, taking the lead early on against Saint Mary’s and keeping them at arm’s length for the majority of the second half to make the Sweet 16. Here, Alabama’s defense will face its toughest test of this tournament so far by a wide margin against the high-flying Cougars.
Fortunately for the Crimson Tide, Grant Nelson has looked healthy in the action he has seen in the tournament so far. Nelson suffered an injury during the SEC tournament and was held out of action for the majority of their first-round game with Robert Morris. But since checking in during the second half of that contest, Nelson has looked as agile as ever and his presence around the rim will be key for Alabama on both ends of the floor in this one.
BYU vs Alabama Prediction
Over 171.5 (-110)
220K Gold Coins & 10 FREE Sweeps Coins
- Alabama plays with the fastest adjusted tempo in college basketball according to Kenpom.
- Both of these offenses are operating at such a high level and we expect this game to be the highest-scoring of the tournament so far.
