The 2-seed Alabama Crimson Tide (24-6) face the 15-seed Iona Gaels (12-5) at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis Saturday for a 4 p.m. ET tip-off. Below, we analyze the Alabama-Iona odds and lines, with March Madness NCAA Tournament picks and predictions.
Alabama has been playing tremendous basketball lately, culminating in a SEC conference tournament title against LSU. They have won six in a row overall, while covering four of the past five outings. The Volunteers are also a solid 7-3 SU and 6-4 ATS across their past 10 games against teams in the NCAA Tournament field, so they’re battle tested.
The big story for Iona is the man at the helm, as head coach Rick Pitino leads his fifth different school to the NCAA Tournament. Iona ran through the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) tourney, winning four games in five days while going 3-0-1 ATS. They’re also on a six-game win streak, while going 5-0-1 ATS, dating back to their last loss on Feb. 17 at Quinnipiac. The Gaels didn’t face a team in the NCAA Tournament during the regular season or conference tournament.
Alabama vs. Iona: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:40 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Alabama -2500 (bet $2,500 to win $100) | Iona +1150 (bet $100 to win $1,150)
- Against the spread/ATS: Alabama -16.5 (-110) | Iona +16.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 146.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Alabama vs. Iona: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Alabama 85 Iona 63
Money line (ML)
Alabama (-2500) is heavily favored to win this one, and it’s hard to envision many scenarios where that doesn’t happen. But Ohio State served as a cautionary tale on Friday as to why you do not play giant money lines. AVOID.
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Against the spread (ATS)
ALABAMA -16.5 (-110) is a tremendous play laying the points, even though Iona +16.5 (-110) is 5-0-1 ATS across its past six games. The Gaels are undersized and will struggle mightily against the Crimson Tide, who are strong down low but also a decent 3-point shooting team, too. The Tide are also 4-1 ATS across the past five as a favorite.
Over/Under (O/U)
OVER 146.5 (-110) is the lean, mostly because of Alabama’s high-octane offense. The Tide have posted 79.6 PPG, which ranked 31st in the regular season. Iona closed the regular season on a 5-1 Over run, although the Over hit just once in their four games in the MAAC tourney. The Gaels might have difficulty scoring against Bama’s solid D, so only go lightly on the Over.
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