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The Alabama Crimson Tide survived its March Madness opener with a closer-than-expected 90-81 victory over Robert Morris in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Cleveland.
Nate Oats' Crimson Tide (26-8 overall), the region's No. 2 seed and ranked No. 8 in this week's USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, will take on No. 7 seed Saint Mary's (29-5) in second-round action Sunday at 5:10 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on TNT. Saint Mary's is ranked No. 19 in the Coaches Poll.
Ahead of Sunday's Top 25 matchup, ESPN Analytics' Matchup Predictor is ready to make a prediction for who will advance to the Sweet 16 based on its popular College Basketball Power Index ratings.
ESPN gives Alabama a 69.7 percent change of winning compared to the Gaels' 37.3 percent odds. Saint Mary's won the West Coast Conference regular-season title and are the fourth-best team in the nation in scoring defense, holding opponents to an average of 60.5 PPG this season.
It's a stark contrast of styles and tempo between the Gaels and Crimson Tide, who lead the nation in scoring at 91.1 points per game -- almost five points better than Gonzaga's 86.7 average. Saint Mary's averages 73.1 points per game, 197th in Division I basketball.
ESPN defines BPI ratings as a "measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward. BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is... Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day's rest and altitude."
Alabama is No. 6 in ESPN's BPI with an overall rating of 18.9, with Saint Mary's at No. 30 (13.7).
Alabama got 22 points from Mark Sears in Friday's win over Robert Morris, with 19 coming in the second half. Sears added 10 assists. Mouhamed Dioubate and Clifford Omoruyi had big games for Alabama down low. Dioubate had 18 points (8-of-10 shooting) and 10 rebounds for a double-double, while Omoruyi had 17 points on 8-of-8 shots to go with four rebounds and two blocks.
Grant Nelson, dealing with a knee injury, checked into the game with around nine minutes to play and the Tide fighting to avoid a first-round upset. Nelson;s dunk with 6:40 to play gave Alabama a 66-65 lead. The Tide never trailed again, going on an 11-1 run over the next three minutes.
Saint Mary's erased a 12-point deficit in the second half to defeat No. 10 seed Vanderbilt, 59-56, Friday in Cleveland. Jordan Ross had 15 points to help the Gaels rally, including 12 in the second half.
This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Alabama basketball odds vs Saint Mary's in March Madness, per ESPN
Continue reading...
Nate Oats' Crimson Tide (26-8 overall), the region's No. 2 seed and ranked No. 8 in this week's USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, will take on No. 7 seed Saint Mary's (29-5) in second-round action Sunday at 5:10 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on TNT. Saint Mary's is ranked No. 19 in the Coaches Poll.
Ahead of Sunday's Top 25 matchup, ESPN Analytics' Matchup Predictor is ready to make a prediction for who will advance to the Sweet 16 based on its popular College Basketball Power Index ratings.
ESPN gives Alabama a 69.7 percent change of winning compared to the Gaels' 37.3 percent odds. Saint Mary's won the West Coast Conference regular-season title and are the fourth-best team in the nation in scoring defense, holding opponents to an average of 60.5 PPG this season.
It's a stark contrast of styles and tempo between the Gaels and Crimson Tide, who lead the nation in scoring at 91.1 points per game -- almost five points better than Gonzaga's 86.7 average. Saint Mary's averages 73.1 points per game, 197th in Division I basketball.
ESPN defines BPI ratings as a "measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward. BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is... Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day's rest and altitude."
Alabama is No. 6 in ESPN's BPI with an overall rating of 18.9, with Saint Mary's at No. 30 (13.7).
Alabama got 22 points from Mark Sears in Friday's win over Robert Morris, with 19 coming in the second half. Sears added 10 assists. Mouhamed Dioubate and Clifford Omoruyi had big games for Alabama down low. Dioubate had 18 points (8-of-10 shooting) and 10 rebounds for a double-double, while Omoruyi had 17 points on 8-of-8 shots to go with four rebounds and two blocks.
Grant Nelson, dealing with a knee injury, checked into the game with around nine minutes to play and the Tide fighting to avoid a first-round upset. Nelson;s dunk with 6:40 to play gave Alabama a 66-65 lead. The Tide never trailed again, going on an 11-1 run over the next three minutes.
Saint Mary's erased a 12-point deficit in the second half to defeat No. 10 seed Vanderbilt, 59-56, Friday in Cleveland. Jordan Ross had 15 points to help the Gaels rally, including 12 in the second half.
This article originally appeared on Roll Tide Wire: Alabama basketball odds vs Saint Mary's in March Madness, per ESPN
Continue reading...
