Half-time report
There’s only one half left between Alabama and the victory they were favored to get tonight. They have a bit of a lead as they currently lead Oklahoma 48-31.
Alabama came into the game having won five straight and they are only one half away from each other. Will they reach six, or will Oklahoma step in and ruin it? We will know soon.
Who’s playing
Oklahoma Sooners @ Alabama Crimson Tide
Current records: Oklahoma 13-0, Alabama 11-2
How to watch
What you need to know
Oklahoma prepares for its first SEC game of the season on Saturday. They and the Alabama Crimson Tide will face off at 6 p.m. ET at Coleman Coliseum. Both teams enter the competition in great shape, with the Sooners sitting on 13 straight wins and the Crimson Tide on five.
If Oklahoma beats Alabama by 89 points on Saturday, that will be the team’s new lucky number: They’ve won their last two games by that exact score. Everything went Oklahoma’s way against Prairie View on Sunday as Oklahoma came out on top with an 89-67 victory. The Sooners have made a habit of putting opponents off the field, having won five games by 21 points or more this season.
Oklahoma earned its victory thanks to several key players, but it was Jeremiah Fears leading the way who went 7 of 11 on his way to 19 points plus five rebounds and three steals. Another player who made the difference was Jalon Moore, who went 7 for 10 en route to 22 points plus six rebounds.
Meanwhile, even if S. Dak. State scored a whopping 82 points on Sunday, with Alabama still coming out on top. Alabama was the clear winner by a 105-82 margin over S. Dak. State. The game was decided at halftime, when the score had already reached 57-33.
Alabama’s victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in strong performances. Perhaps the best of them was Labaron Philon, who went 8 of 14 en route to 21 points plus six assists and five rebounds. The team also received help from Grant Nelson, who went 7 of 8 on his way to 17 points plus eight rebounds and two blocks.
Alabama worked as a unit and finished the game with 21 assists. They have easily outclassed their opponents in this department like S. Dak. The state only posted 13.
Oklahoma pushed its record to 13-0 with the win, which was its ninth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Alabama, they’ve been on a roll lately: They’ve won eight of their last nine games, which has been a nice improvement to their 11-2 record this season.
Keep an eye on the arc for Saturday’s game: Oklahoma has been dynamite from deep this season, hitting 36.7 percent of its threes per game. It’s a different story for Alabama, as they’ve only drained 31.7% of their threes this season. Given Oklahoma’s considerable advantage in this area, Alabama will need to find a way to close this gap.
Oklahoma is hoping to defy the odds on Saturday as experts believe they are headed for a loss. This will be the first time they play as an underdog on the road this season.
Odds
Alabama is a heavy 12.5-point favorite against Oklahoma, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The line drifted a bit toward the Crimson Tide, as the game opened with the Crimson Tide as a 10.5-point favorite.
Oddsmakers are expecting fireworks from the offense and have pegged the over/under at a high of 166.5 points.
See college basketball picks for every game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get Picks Now.
History of the series
Oklahoma has won 2 of its last 3 games against Alabama.
- January 28, 2023 – Oklahoma 93 vs. Alabama 69
- January 30, 2021 – Oklahoma 66 vs. Alabama 61
- January 27, 2018 – Alabama 80 vs. Oklahoma 73