Alabama basketball will play its second straight road game on Tuesday night as they travel to Austin to face the Texas Longhorns.
The Crimson Tide comes in at 20-3 (9-1) and is the newly minted No. 1 team in the Coaches Poll. Alabama was No. 2 in the AP Poll, one spot behind rival Auburn. All eyes will be on Saturday's matchup in Tuscaloosa that will pit No. 1 vs. No. 2 at Coleman Coliseum.
Before that, though, both the Tide and Tigers face difficult road challenges. Auburn takes on Vanderbilt in Nashville a couple hours before Alabama tips off in Austin. Vanderbilt already has a couple of impressive wins at Memorial this season, knocking off both Kentucky and Tennessee in their home gym.
Alabama comes in riding a six-game winning streak and is 7-1 in true road games this season. Alabama lost its first road game to Purdue in November, but has since won seven straight, including road victories in Chapel Hill, College Station, Lexington, Starkville, and Fayetteville.
The Crimson Tide will not be intimidated by a difficult road environment, but as is every road game in this league, the challenge will be immense in Austin.
The Longhorns enter the game at 15-9 (4-7) and are in desperate need of a win to boost its NCAA Tournament resume. Texas has lost three of its last four games, but they've been difficult to deal with at home. Both Tennessee and Auburn won their games in Austin, but by a combined nine points.
It will take a strong effort for Alabama to win this one on the road.
Alabama basketball a slight road favorite over Texas
Betting Odds:
Odds courtesy of FanDuel.
Spread: Alabama -3.5
Over/Under: 165.5
How to Watch:
Tip Time: 8:00 PM CT
TV: ESPN
Streaming: WatchESPN
Prediction:
Alabama is a small road favorite in this one. KenPom tends to agree with the oddsmakers here. KenPom gives Alabama a 59% chance of victory and projects an 83-81 Crimson Tide win over Texas.
This game will be a test of maturity in two ways for this Alabama team. Can this veteran group avoid a classic trap game four days before the massive showdown with Auburn? This is a quick turnaround on the road following Saturday's matchup at Arkansas. Nate Oats made the decision to keep the Crimson Tide on the road instead of bringing them back to Tuscaloosa with just a couple days between games.
It's also a test to see what this Alabama team learned from the home loss to Ole Miss. Stylistically, Texas is a very similar team to the Rebels. Texas head coach Rodney Terry was Chris Beard's top assistant with the Longhorns and took over as head coach when Beard was let go.
Texas is going to play aggressive defensively with some matchup zones and will look to get their hands in the passing lanes and turn Alabama over. The 'Horns aren't great at forcing turnovers, but sometimes Alabama doesn't need much help.
Alabama will need its veteran leaders to step up in this one. Mark Sears will need to play well. Grant Nelson will need to bring his A-game against Texas forward Arthur Kaluma.
It wouldn't hurt to have someone step up like Chris Youngblood did in Alabama's road win over Mississippi State. The fifth-year senior connected on 7-of-10 three point attempts to help the Crimson Tide get the win. Maybe Youngblood comes up big again, or maybe sophomore guard Aden Holloway stays hot and has a big game.
This challenge will be immense, but I think Alabama finds a way like they've done so many times this year.