Alabama vs. Florida Prediction and Odds: Which Crimson Tide Team Shows Up on the Road?

The No. 15 Alabama Crimson Tide and the Florida Gators are in SEC action tonight in a game between two defensive-minded programs.

The Crimson Tide is fresh off of a 73-68 win at home over the Tennesee Volunteers on Dec. 29. The win brings their season record to 9-3 after a series of impressive wins over No. 4 Gonzaga and No. 12 Houston.

However, they also have some surprising losses to Iona and Davidson. So, while they are talented enough to beat the big boys, they are inconsistent at times. 

The Gators, meanwhile, have a few impressive wins under their bet too. Florida has victories over Ohio State and Florida State and has proven capable of winning against “better” teams.

The Gators have had a bit of a lull in competition however and haven’t played another Power Five team in almost a month.

It will be interesting to see if they can adjust to having to get back into conference play after such a long hiatus without a high-quality opponent. Here are the odds for this matchup, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.

Alabama vs. Florida Odds, Spread and Total

Spread:

• Alabama +2 (-110)
• Florida -2 (-110)

Moneyline:

• Alabama +105
• Florida -125

Total:

• 149.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Alabama vs. Florida Prediction and Pick

Despite being around two months into the college basketball season, Alabama has played just one road game heading into its tilt in Florida. The Crimson Tide ended up losing that game 92-78 to the  Memphis Tigers. They will hope to avoid the same fate tonight on the back of their high-powered offense.

Bama’s offense is led by the duo of Jahvon Quinerly and Jaden Shackelford who are averaging 14.9 PPG and 16.5 points per game respectively. The pair is a major reason as to why the Crimson Tide are 14th in adjusted offense efficiency and are the third-best team in the nation in shooting percentage from the field.

They do need to pick it up from behind the arc with a 32.8 shooting percentage from deep, but it hasn’t really held them back thus far. 

The Gators' offense is also their bread and butter but is not at the same level as the Crimson Tide, ranking 43rd in adjusted offensive efficiency. The Gators do have an edge in the rebounding game with the nation’s 24th best-rebounding percentage. 

While these two teams match up quite well, I do worry about Alabama’s defense right now. First off, it allows teams to shoot over 50 percent on two-point shots. Meanwhile, the Gators defense is holding opponents to 28.7 percent from deep and have been solid at forcing turnovers this season.

At this point, I am not sure if the fluke games for Bama are the wins against ranked teams or if they are the losses to lesser opponents. Until I have a better feeling of this team, I will be betting against them. That includes tonight in Florida. 

Pick: Florida Gators -2 (-110)