Alabama Basketball: Season-opener betting info and how to watch

The start of a new Alabama basketball season is always welcome. What begins inside Coleman Coliseum tonight also provides a respite from fretting over a second Alabama football loss.

Nate Oats’ team is expected to again compete as one of the SEC’s best. The Crimson Tide is ranked at No. 20 in the preseason AP Poll and various sources generally have Alabama Basketball in the top five of SEC teams. Ken Pomeroy has the Crimson Tide ranked at No. 17. The four SEC teams KenPom ranks above the Crimson Tide are No.1, Kentucky; No. 4, Tennessee; No. 13, Auburn and No. 14, Arkansas.

The opponent for Monday night is Longwood, predicted by many to win the Big South conference. Last season the Lancers were 26-7. From January 5, 2021, Longwood went on a 19-1 run, winning the Big South Tournament to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Tennessee slammed the door on Longwood’s Big Dance dreams, beating the Lancers 88-56.

According to FanDuel, Alabama is a 16.5-point favorite Monday night. The Moneyline is Alabama -1800, with Longwood +920. The over/under is 148.5 points.

Alabama Basketball Season Opener

Tonight’s contest is at 7:30 PM CST. For the Alabama basketball fans who cannot make it to Coleman, the game will be broadcast on SEC Network+, with Roger Hoover and Richard Hendrix as the television team. Chris Stewart and Bryan Passink will have the radio call on the Crimson Tide Sports Network. The game will also be streamed through the ESPN App and on fuboTV.

Except for the still-recovering Jahvon Quinerly, Alabama should have a complete roster available Monday night. Charles Bediako and Darius Miles missed the recent pre-season game against Southern Illinois, but both are expected to return against Longwood. Nimari Burnett is finally cleared to play without any restrictions.

Against the Salukis, Alabama was a woeful 3-for-22 on three-point shots. Reports from practices state that three-point shooting has been good, which will hopefully be seen against Longwood.

Nate Oats, through transfers and strong recruiting, has a much different roster than last season. It will take Oats time to sort out a nine or ten-player rotation, but early on, much is expected from freshmen Brandon Miller and Noah Clowney. Once Quinerly is cleared to play, Oats can mix and match from 12 solid players.

Alabama Basketball Game Prediction

Longwood has some talent, but its leading scorer from last season transferred to the Georgia Bulldogs. Alabama should win easily and cover the spread.

Complete Alabama Basketball Game Notes are available here.