The Houston Cougars take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in Las Vegas, NV, as part of the Players Era Festival. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET on TBS.
The Tide are favored by 4 points on the spread with a moneyline of -175. The total is set at 150.5 points.
Here’s my Houston vs. Alabama predictions and college basketball picks for November 26, 2024.
Houston vs Alabama Prediction
My Pick: Houston -4
My Houston vs Alabama best bet is on the Cougars spread, with the best odds currently available at DraftKings. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Houston vs Alabama Odds
| Houston Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4 -105 | 150.5 -112 / -108 | -175 |
| Alabama Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4 -115 | 150.5 -112 / -108 | +145 |
- Houston vs Alabama spread: Houston -4
- Houston vs Alabama over/under: 150.5 points
- Houston vs Alabama moneyline: Houston -175, Alabama +145
- Houston vs Alabama best bet: Houston -4
Spread
I'm taking the Cougars on the spread.
Moneyline
I'm passing on the moneyline.
Over/Under
I'm passing on the total.
My Pick: Houston -4
Houston vs Alabama College Basketball Betting Preview
Two of the best teams in the country meet on Tuesday when Houston takes on Alabama in Las Vegas.
We have seen the best and the "worst" of both teams already.
Houston has dominated in its wins against Jackson State, Louisiana and Hofstra, but it dropped its one big test of the year in a "neutral" site game against Auburn.
Alabama has impressive wins over Illinois and McNeese, but it took a loss to Purdue in Mackey Arena.
These two teams possess two of the best offenses in all of college basketball. They rank third (Alabama) and fourth (Houston) in adjusted offensive efficiency, and both teams have star power, depth and athletes everywhere.
Alabama plays by the same old Nate Oats principles that fans have come to know and love — tons of 3s and transition buckets and no mid-range shots. This year hasn't gone as smoothly as past Alabama offenses just yet though.
The biggest issue has been Alabama's inability to make shots from outside. The Tide are shooting just 30% from 3, which would rank as the worst of all Alabama teams in the Oats era.
Part of the slow shooting start is due to Mark Sears' slump, but part of it is also due to personnel. Oats is playing an untraditional jumbo lineup in big minutes, relying on Grant Nelson (a career 30% 3-point shooter) at small forward, Jarin Stevenson (27%) at power forward and Cliff Omoruyi (20%) at center.
While Oats searches for answers, his starting lineups keep changing. Despite the 4-1 start, this Alabama team feels like it is still searching for its identity.
Houston is the last team you want to see if that is the case. The Cougars rank third in adjusted defensive efficiency and top-seven nationally in both block percentage and steal percentage. It will be a tall task for the slumping Sears and freshman Labaron Philon to handle the physicality and pressure of a Houston defense.
And while Alabama hasn't been able to make shots from outside, Houston has been stellar there, shooting 49% from deep on the year, which ranks first nationally.
Much like Alabama bounced back nicely from a poor performance against Purdue to get a win over Illinois, Houston will likely do the same after losing to Auburn.
Take Houston to cover.
