The Alabama Crimson Tide face a daunting task Saturday in their first Final Four appearance in program history when they face a Connecticut Huskies club that is looking to make history by winning back-to-back NCAA Tournament titles. The West Region champion Crimson Tide (25-11) have reached the sport’s pinnacle as a No. 4 seed with an up-tempo style and resiliency that has seen them overcome double-digit deficits against North Carolina and Clemson to prevail and move on. Now, they face a colossal challenge against the East Region champion Huskies (35-3), who have won all four of their 2024 NCAA Tournament games by at least 17 points and are determined to cut down the nets for a second consecutive season.
Tipoff is set for 8:49 p.m. ET from State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. The Huskies are 11.5-point favorites and the over/under for total points scored is 160.5 in the latest Alabama vs. UConn odds via SportsLine consensus. Before making any UConn vs. Alabama picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and betting advice from SportsLine expert Zack Cimini.
A Las Vegas handicapper who’s never afraid to buck conventional wisdom, Cimini enters the Final Four as SportsLine’s most profitable college basketball expert. He’s 85-60-2 on his last 147 college basketball picks, returning $1,850 for $100 players. Anyone following him has seen massive returns.
Now, he has his sights on Alabama vs. UConn in the 2024 Final Four and just locked in his picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for UConn vs. Alabama:
Alabama vs. UConn point spread: UConn -11.5Alabama vs. UConn over/under total: 160.5 pointsAlabama vs. UConn money line: Connecticut -746, Alabama +510BAMA: The Crimson Tide are 11-6 against the spread in non-conference games this season.UCONN: The Huskies have won their four NCAA Tournament games by an average of 27.7 points.Alabama vs. UConn picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why UConn can cover
The most basic argument for why the Huskies can cover is that, for the past two seasons, they have gone 10-0 straight up and against the spread in the NCAA Tournament, and only a couple of the spread outcomes were even moderately close. Many observers expected a different story in the Elite Eight against a battle-tested Illinois club that was not only the most efficient offensive team in the country but had proven it could clamp down on defense when it mattered. The Huskies played their worst first half of basketball in the NCAA Tournament, repeatedly missing high-percentage shots and turning the ball over at an unusually high clip. They somehow managed a 28-23 lead but the game appeared headed toward a tight finish.
That is, until the Huskies came out of the locker room with renewed energy and focus, burying the Illini behind a 30-0 run that spanned both halves. Justin Harmon’s layup broke the dry spell for Illinois with 12:39 left, by which time the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Sophomore center Donovan Clingan sparked the Huskies on both ends, with four of his five blocks and most of his 10 rebounds coming during that historic run. He finished with a team-high 22 points and added three steals despite playing just 22 minutes. See which team to pick at SportsLine.
Why Alabama can cover
Alabama coach Nate Oats is widely considered a rising star in the sport and the school recently rewarded him with a massive extension that will make him among the top-five paid coaches in the country. The new contract will also make it difficult for potential suitors to lure him away from the Crimson Tide. Oats, 49, was already heralded for leading the Tide to the Sweet 16 twice in his first four seasons, a feat that hadn’t been accomplished at the school since 2004. Now, in his fifth season, he has led Alabama to its first Final Fourth berth in program history.
But it’s worth noting that Oats already had a reputation as a giant killer at previous stops. In four years at Buffalo, he led the Bulls to three NCAA Tournament appearances and reached the second round twice. The program hasn’t reached the Big Dance since Oats’ departure following the 2019 season. Perhaps his most memorable win at Buffalo came in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament when the No. 13-seeded Bulls beat No. 4-seeded Arizona 89-68 as a 10-point underdog. He will attempt to duplicate that feat on a much bigger stage Saturday.
“We have to figure out how to beat them. But I think more college teams are starting to play more efficient style basketball like we’ve been playing,” Oats told the media. See which team to pick at SportsLine.
How to make Alabama vs. UConn picks
Cimini is leaning Over on the point total. He has also discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He’s only sharing what it is, and which side to back, at SportsLine.
So who wins UConn vs. Alabama in the 2024 Final Four, and what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the expert on an 85-60 roll on his college basketball best bets, and find out.
