The No. 8 Virginia Tech Hokies (21-11) face off against the No. 9 Alabama Crimson Tide (19-15) in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament at PPG Paints Arena. The game is scheduled to begin at 9:20 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 15, 2018.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 141.5 points with Virginia Tech opening as a 2-point favorite.
Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Virginia Tech Hokies Free Prediction
In the , the Crimson Tide were dismantled by the Kentucky Wildcats, 86-63. Getting to the free throw line was one of Kentucky’s biggest strengths. They had 28 free throw attempts, while Alabama had 15. Collin Sexton led Alabama in scoring with 21 points on 6-for-14 shooting.
The Hokies fell to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the , 71-65. Notre Dame made good use of their 25 trips to the free throw line, converting on 21 of them (84.0 percent). Virginia Tech, meanwhile, was just 7-9 (77.8 percent). With 15 points and seven assists, Virginia Tech’s Justin Robinson had a good game.
This battle pits one of the NCAA’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses as Virginia Tech currently ranks 12th in effective field goal percentage (0.575) and Alabama is 35th in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.472). Additionally, the Crimson Tide rank 53rd in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.279), while the Hokies rank 53rd in opponents’ FTA rate (0.201).
Alabama holds records of 19-15 straight up (SU) and 17-15-1 against the spread (ATS). Of the Crimson Tide’s 32 games with betting action, 21 have finished under the total.
Meanwhile, Virginia Tech owns records of 21-11 SU and 17-11 ATS. Similarly to Alabama, Hokies games have a slight tendency to finish under the O/U total (51.9 percent).
Collin Sexton has averaged 22.0 points and 4.4 assists over the last five games for Alabama.
Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Virginia Tech Hokies Free Pick
Basketball Pick: SU Winner – Alabama, ATS Winner – Alabama, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
Alabama ranks 10th in blocks per game (5.5) while Virginia Tech ranks 221st (2.3).
The Hokies rank 24th in assists per game (16.5) while the Crimson Tide rank 212th (12.5).
Alabama ranks 108th in rebounds per game (36.3) while Virginia Tech ranks 256th (33.2).
The Crimson Tide rank 156th in three pointers allowed per game (21.8) while the Hokies rank 297th (25.8).
Virginia Tech ranks 46th in steals allowed per game (5.3) while Alabama ranks 163rd (6.6).
Bettings Trends:
The Crimson Tide have been outscored by an average of 5.4 points in their last five games. For the season, Alabama has defeated opponents by an average of 2.4 points.
During their last five games, the Hokies have scored an average of 66.0 points per game (13.7 below their season average) and allowed an average of 67.2 points per game (4.5 below their season average).
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