After a week off, Alabama basketball returns to action on Saturday night to face John Calipari's Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena.
The Crimson Tide enters at 19-3 and 8-1 in the SEC having won five consecutive games and 13 of their last 14 overall. The Razorbacks have built some momentum recently, shaking off an 0-5 start to SEC play by winning three of their last four, including back-to-back road wins over Kentucky and Texas.
The Hogs have gotten right in Calipari's first season in Fayetteville and are back on the right side of the bubble. A home win over Alabama on Saturday night would reinforce the Arkansas resurgence.
Alabama needs the win to stay on pace with SEC-leading Auburn. The Tigers have a tough home game on Saturday themselves with Florida coming to the Plains, but the Tigers are currently undefeated and a game ahead of the Crimson Tide at the moment.
It won't be easy in Fayetteville, but then again there's not an easy game remaining on the Tide's schedule over the back nine in conference.
Alabama basketball a slight road favorite over Arkansas
Betting Odds:
Odds courtesy of FanDuel.
Spread: Alabama -6.5
Over/Under: 164.5
How to Watch:
Tip Time: 7:30 PM CT
TV: ESPN
Streaming: WatchESPN
Prediction:
Alabama will be without freshman Derrion Reid, which hampers the Crimson Tide's depth a little bit. Alabama will still have a slight depth advantage with nine rotational players against Arkansas' eight.
Alabama will try to push the tempo and wear down the Hogs. Calipari puts a lot on the plate of his two starting guards: DJ Wagner and Johnell Davis. They're both capable of having big nights and it will be a difficult defensive assignment for Mark Sears, Aden Holloway, Labaron Philon, and Chris Youngblood, the four of whom will draw the majority of time on them.
If Alabama is struggling against Davis, Oats might deploy Jarin Stevenson on him after having success using the 6'10" forward on guards this season. This would have been a spot where Reid would have been particularly handy, too. Mo Dioubate will likely have his hands full with Adou Thiero and be unable to help.
Alabama will need to take better care of the basketball than they have in SEC play. Turning it over 20 times will not be a recipe for a road win in Fayetteville.
I think Alabama comes out energized and re-charged after a week of rest. Arkansas' win over Kentucky was impressive, but I'm not entirely sure they've really turned the corner. The win in Austin over Texas had a lot more to do with Texas than it did Arkansas.
I expect the game will be close and Alabama pulls away following the final media timeout.