Arizona vs. Alabama Prediction, Odds and Key Players to Watch for Saturday, Dec. 13

Iain MacMillan | 2 Hours Ago

Arizona is a road underdog against Alabama in Saturday's college basketball action. / Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

The Arizona Wildcats enter this weekend's college basketball action as the No. 1-ranked team in the country. Even with that being the case, they're set as slight underdogs against the Alabama Crimson Tide in an interconference showdown on Saturday.

This is the best game scheduled for this weekend, so let's dive into the odds and my best bet for it.

Arizona vs. Alabama Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread

• Arizona +1.5 (-112)
• Alabama -1.5 (-108)

Moneyline

• Arizona +105
• Alabama -126

Total

• OVER 172.5 (-115)
• UNDER 172.5 (-105)

Arizona vs. Alabama How to Watch

• Date: Saturday, December 13
• Game Time: 9:30 pm ET
• Venue: Legacy Arena at BJCC
• How to Watch (TV): ESPN
• Arizona Record: 8-0
• Alabama Record: 7-2

Arizona vs. Alabama Betting Trends

• Cardinals are 4-1 ATS in their last five games
• Arizona is 16-4 straight up in its last 20 games played in December
• The OVER is 4-1 in Alabama's last five games
• Alabama is 4-2 ATS in its last six games

Arizona vs. Alabama Key Player to Watch

• Labaron Philon Jr., G - Alabama Crimson Tide

Not only is Labaraon Philon Jr. Alabama's leading scorer, averaging 21.4 points per game, but he's also leading the team in assists per game at 5.4 and steals per game at 1.4. The key to stopping this Crimson Tide offense is finding a way to guard Philon Jr., which will be Arizona's No. 1 concern on Saturday night.

Arizona vs. Alabama Prediction and Pick

Instead of picking a side in this game, I'm going to bet the OVER. Both teams play at an extremely high pace. Alabama plays at the eighth-highest adjusted tempo, and Arizona ranks 36th in that metric.

Both teams' strengths also line up well with their opponents' defensive weaknesses. Arizona has the second-highest two-point shot rate, and Alabama ranks 92nd in opponent two-point field goal percentage, allowing them to shoot 48.5% from two-point range. The Crimson Tide ranks amongst the highest in the country in three-point shot rate, but the Wildcats are 113th in opponent three-point field goal percentage, allowing teams to shoot 31.4% from beyond the arc.

All of that leads me to believe we're going to see a high-scoring affair on Saturday.

Pick: OVER 172.5 (-115) via FanDuel

---

Create a new FanDuel Sportsbook account, and you can get $150 in bonus bets if you win your first $5 wager. Download the FanDuel app and deposit a minimum of $5 to claim your FanDuel promo code offer today.

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

You can check out all of Iain's bets here!