Alabama vs Missouri Picks and Odds (Jan. 8)

• #15 Alabama is a 14-point favorite over Missouri on Saturday (Jan. 8th) at 3:30 pm ET at the Mizzou Arena, in Columbia, MO
• The Crimson Tide are the only team in the country with victories over three top-12 teams in the NET rankings
• Read below for odds, analysis and a betting prediction

All the talk in the Alabama sports world these days is on the Crimson Tide’s chance of repeating as College Football National Champions. Don’t get me wrong it’s a great story, but the Alabama hoops program deserves some attention as well.

The Crimson Tide are ranked 15th in the country, and are likely to move up even higher should they take care of business on Saturday (January 8th) on the road versus Missouri. Bama is fresh off back-to-back conference wins over #14 Tennessee and Florida, defeating two of the top-35 programs in the nation.

#15 Alabama vs Missouri Odds

Odds as of Jan. 7th at FanDuel.

The Crimson Tide opened up as a 14-point favorite over the Tigers, in a game that features a total of 148. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 pm ET at the Mizzou Arena in Columbia, MO, with the SEC Network providing the broadcast coverage.

Alabama Crimson Tide Betting Analysis

Alabama is the only team in the country to post victories over three top-12 teams in the NET rankings. Last time out, they defeated a Gators program ranked 35th by KenPom 83-70, thanks to a monster second half. The Crimson Tide used a 22-4 run to seize control and outscored Florida 47-31 over the final 20 minutes.

Second half run 🏃🏀 led to some fun🎉🤪#RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball pic.twitter.com/sNzazNJr02

— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) January 6, 2022

All five starters reached double-figures, led by Keon Ellis’ 13 points. They actually had an off night from the field, shooting just 40.3%, but produced four more assists and turned the ball over eight fewer times.

Defensively, they racked up 13 steals and 5 blocks, while limiting the Gators to 20 fewer field goal attempts than they took themselves.

Defense is by no means their calling card though, as Alabama is one of the premier offensive teams in the country. They rank 11th in points per game (82.2), while boasting a 53.8% effective field goal percentage.

Put in some work tonight at Mizzou Arena 💪#RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball pic.twitter.com/meVKuHCTQF

— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) January 8, 2022

The Crimson Tide rank top-15 in total rebounding, and take the seventh most three’s per game, which should come in handy versus Missouri – more on that later.

Missouri Tigers Betting Analysis

The Tigers meanwhile, will see their first action since December 29th on Saturday. COVID issues postponed their game earlier this week versus Mississippi State, meaning it’s been 11 days since they lost to #16 Kentucky.

Back in our house tomorrow ‼️ pic.twitter.com/E3r1C0jKnA

— Mizzou Hoops (@MizzouHoops) January 8, 2022

Missouri fell 83-56 to the Wildcats, marking the third time this season they’ve been blown out by a top-20 opponent. They shot just 32.8% from the field, which reflects the kind of season they’ve had offensively so far. The Tigers rank 280th in points per game (64.6), and 332nd out of 358 teams in effective field goal percentage (43.9%).

Defensively, Missouri’s numbers are just as poor. They’re coughing up 71.7 points per game, and rank 303rd in opponent effective field goal percentage (53.4%). They’re also bottom-30 in the country at defending the three-point line which spells disaster versus an Alabama team that loves nothing more than to launch triples.

Alabama vs Missouri Pick

In three games versus top-20 opposition this season, the Tigers are getting outscored by an average of 29.6 points. They’re 0-4 versus top-40 competition overall and just don’t have the firepower to keep up with the Tide.

Alabama is used to playing high scoring games, except when they face underwhelming opposition. The under is 3-1 in the Crimson Tide’s four contests versus opponents ranked outside the top-100, a category Missouri falls into.

👀😤#RollTide | #BlueCollarBasketball pic.twitter.com/q4VB8OosMF

— Alabama Men’s Basketball (@AlabamaMBB) January 6, 2022

The Tigers rank 209th in adjusted offensive efficiency, and if they play like they normally do it’s going to be very hard for this game to reach its total unless Alabama puts up 90+ points.

Pick: Under 148 (-110)