The North Alabama Lions take on the Lipscomb Bisons in the ASUN Championship game. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Lipscomb is favored by 5.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -245. The total is set at 144.5 points.
Here’s my North Alabama vs. Lipscomb predictions and college basketball picks for March 9, 2025.
North Alabama Lions vs. Lipscomb Bisons Prediction, Picks
My Pick: Lipscomb -5.5
My North Alabama vs Lipscomb best bet is on the Bisons 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.
North Alabama vs. Lipscomb Odds, Spread
| North Alabama Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4.5 -105 | 142.5 -115o / -105u | +170 |
| Lipscomb Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4.5 -115 | 142.5 -115o / -105u | -210 |
- North Alabama vs. Lipscomb spread: Lipscomb -4.5, North Alabama +4.5
- North Alabama vs. Lipscomb over/under: 142.5
- North Alabama vs. Lipscomb moneyline: Lipscomb ML -210, North Alabama ML +170
Spread
I like Lipscomb on the spread.
Moneyline
I have no play on the moneyline.
Over/Under
I have no play on the total.
My Pick: Lipscomb -5.5
North Alabama vs Lipscomb ASUN Championship Preview
These two ASUN juggernauts split the season series, with each team winning in their respective homes.
This game takes place in Lipscomb's home, as it's the top seed in the league tournament.
Lipscomb looked in danger of not even making this matchup. Queens pushed the Bisons to the brink of defeat — leading by 10 with four minutes left — but Lipscomb survived.
It's been an easier path for North Alabama, which blew out Austin Peay and Jacksonville by 15+ points. However, both games were at home.
The Bisons might seem one-dimensional, given their reliance on perimeter shooting (47% of their shots come from 3). But they aren't so reliant on shooting to where a poor percentage for one night is an auto loss. Their constant movement and spacing helps create a 57% 2-point percentage.
Shooting is very important, though. I know that's obvious, but it's even bigger in Lipscomb's case. Lipscomb went just 7-of-28 from 3 in its loss to North Alabama and went 11-of-27 from 3 in its win.
Lipscomb's lineup features a trio of sharpshooters — Jacob Ognacevic, Gyasi Powell and Joe Anderson shoot 37% or better from downtown. The most important piece to the puzzle, though, is probably Will Pruitt, who defended UNA's star Jacari Lane in the first two games.
The interesting thing is how Lipscomb contained Lane. The Bisons hard-hedged on screens, and it resulted in a few errant passes. Since UNA lacks a shooting threat at the five, both opposing five men — Charlie Williams and Grant Asman — stayed close to the paint and helped cut off driving lanes.
The Bisons' defense is no slouch, ranking just outside KenPom's top 100 in defensive efficiency.
If it's another one-on-one game for North Alabama's guards, it bodes well for Lipscomb. Typically, that's how North Alabama's offense operates, ranking 350th in KenPom's A/FGM metric.
The Bisons also boast a pretty noticeable height advantage. Ognacevic is 6-foot-8 and Williams is 6-foot-10, and North Alabama has just one rotation player — Cornelious Williams — who stands above 6-foot-8.
That should lead to a clear advantage, especially with the bigs' ability to shoot and rise up over the smaller Lions.
North Alabama is shooting the cover off the ball lately, converting at a 40.9% clip since February 1. However, the Lions shoot 3s on just 30% of their possessions, so UNA is looking to drive it more than shoot it. It also doesn't turn the ball over, giving it away just 12% of the time.
The best way to beat Lipscomb is with a true post-up threat. But North Alabama doesn't have a real post-scoring threat, as Williams is more of a clean-up-mistakes guy than someone head coach Tony Pujol creates a play for.
All in all, Lipscomb playing at home with its play style should lead to a pretty difficult game for North Alabama. I'll take the sharp-shooting Bisons up to -5.
