Charleston vs Alabama Predictions, Odds & Player Props (March 22)

• The #13 Charleston Cougars face the #4 Alabama Crimson Tide in the first round of the NCAA Tournament
• Alabama is a nine-point favorite over the Cougars
• Below, see the Charleston vs Alabama predictions, odds, and player props for Friday, March 22

In what should be a fast-paced, high-scoring affair, the #13 Charleston Cougars (27-7, 4-3 neutral,16-16-1 ATS) meet the #4 Alabama Crimson Tide (21-11, 1-3 neutral, 17-15 ATS) at Spokane Arena, in Spokane, WA, on Friday.

Tip-off for this West Region first-round game is scheduled for 4:35 pm PT/7:35 pm ET. The winner will move on to face the winner of #5 Saint Mary’s vs #12 Grand Canyon in the second round of the March Madness bracket on Sunday.

Charleston vs Alabama Odds

The Charleston vs Alabama odds list the Tide as nine-point favorites against the spread and -455 on the moneyline. Charleston comes back as a +350 longshot to advance, while the game total of 173 is the highest of the 32 first-round games in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

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Odds as of March 22. Check out the best college basketball betting apps to place your March Madness bets. 

Alabama enters round one as the fourth-favorite to win the West in the 2024 Final Four odds (+750). Charleston is +15000. The Cougars have made one previous trip to the round of 32 in six previous NCAA Tournament appearances.

Alabama Struggles Down the Stretch

After going just 6-5 in their first 11 games, the Tide got very hot, going 13-2 over their next 15 games including an 11-2 start to SEC play.

But Bama fell out of contention for the regular-season title with a 2-3 finish to the regular season and then lost in its first game of the SEC Tournament to Florida (102-88).

Senior guard Mark Sears has been exceptional for the Tide, averaging 21.1 PPG (second in the SEC to Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht). With Aaron Estrada (13.5 PPG), Grant Nelson (12.0), and Rylan Griffen (11.0) also in double-figures, Alabama averaged 90.8 PPG (second-most in the country) while playing at the 11th-fastest tempo.

The Tide head into the Charleston game rated third out of all 362 DI teams in offensive efficiency. Defense, on the other hand, is a different story. Sitting at 116th in defensive efficiency, Alabama is the worst-rated out of all the top-four seeds in this year’s NCAA Tournament. Only ten teams in the tournament rate worse, and they are all seeded #13 or below.

Alabama gave up 100-plus points in three of its last four losses: 117-95 at Kentucky, 105-87 at Florida, and 102-88 vs Florida in Nashville during the SEC Tournament.

Last season, the Tide lost in the Sweet 16 to #5 San Diego State as a #1 seed, but there is little continuity. Leading scorer Brandon Miller and Noah Clowney are now in the NBA while Jahvon Quinerly transferred to Memphis.

Charleston Riding 12-Game Win Streak into March Madness

Returning several key contributors from a group that earned a #12 seed in the tournament last year, expectations were high in Charleston at the start of the season. The Cougars sputtered off the hop, losing three of their first four and playing .500 basketball through eight games.

Since that point, Charleston has gone 23-3 including a 15-3 CAA record to win the conference by two games. They booked their ticket to the dance with an 82-79 OT win over Stony Brook in the CAA Tournament final.

Alabama will be – by a wide margin – the best team Charleston has faced this season. Alabama, which ranks 14th overall at KenPom, is 26 spots higher than Charleston’s next-bes opponent, #40 FAU, which beat the Cougars 90-74 in Boca Raton.

Charleston only has one victory over a top-100 team, beating #98 Saint Joseph’s (89-82 home).

Though last season, they played UNC (102-86 road loss) and Virginia Tech (77-75 home win) before bowing out to eventual national runner-up San Diego State (63-57) in the first round.

Two of the team’s top-three scorers from last season – guard Reyne Smith (12.8 PPG) and forward Ante Brzovic (12.3 PPG, 6.2 APG) – return and sit 1-2 on scoring for the Cougars this year.

CofC vs Bama Player Props

The college basketball player props for Charleston/Alabama come from DraftKings Sportsbook on March 22. 

Charleston vs Alabama Picks

With Charleston running at the 58th-fastest tempo out of 362 Division I teams (and Alabama 11th, as mentioned), this game is going to be fast. And with two defenses that rank outside the top 100 in efficiency, stops could be at a premium, and my first lean is to the over.

But I pegged Alabama as a potential upset before I even saw the bracket, and I am going to stick with the pick I made in my expert bracket. Charleston is experienced, well-coached, and has the offense to keep up with the Tide. If Alabama isn’t hitting at its usual clip from three (36.5%, 35th), it’s going to find itself in a dogfight with an upset-minded Charleston team.

CofC vs BAMA predictions:

• Charleston moneyline (+350)
• Ante Brzovic over 12.5 points (-130)