The 11-seed UCLA Bruins (20-9) meet the 2-seed Alabama Crimson Tide (26-6) at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis Sunday for a 7:15 p.m. ET tip-off on TBS in the East Region.
Below, we’re taking an early look at the March Madness Sweet 16 UCLA-Alabama odds and lines. Don’t forget to check out all of the remaining teams’ March Madness odds, and check back later in the week for our full Sweet 16 breakdowns, picks and predictions.
The Bruins finished the regular season on a three-game losing skid, and they lost in the opening game of the Pac-12 tourney. Not much was expected from them, as they were forced to play their way in from the First Four.
They snuck by Michigan State 86-80 in overtime Thursday as 2.5-point underdogs. They were once again underdogs in the first round, and they managed to keep BYU at a distance all evening to win 73-62 as 3.5-point dogs. Monday night, they took care of upstart Abilene Christian by a 67-47 count, easily covering a 5.5-point number.
Alabama, the SEC regular-season and tournament champ, pushed past Rick Pitino’s scrappy Iona squad in the first round, but failed to cover the 17-point spread. The Crimson Tide didn’t have much trouble against Maryland in the second round and powered past the Terps with 96 points, their most since a 115-point explosion against Georgia Feb. 13. Alabama has won both of its NCAA Tournament games by an average of 16.0 points per game.
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Alabama vs. UCLA: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 9:15 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Alabama -250 (bet $250 to win $100) | UCLA +195 (bet $100 to win $195)
- Against the spread/ATS: Alabama -5.5 (-110) | UCLA +5.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 143.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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