As expected, Aden Holloway is officially out for Alabama's NCAA Tournament opener on Friday against No. 13-seeded Hofstra. Holloway was listed on the Crimson Tide's official availability report on Thursday night, joining the typical three names out with Keitenn Bristow, Davion Hannah, and Collins Onyejiaka.
Holloway is currently suspended from the team pending a student conduct review by the University, which should take place sometime next week. His future with the program - and the school - is murky following his arrest on two felony marijuana charges.
Alabama soldiers on without its second-leading scorer and best shooter, and remains a heavy favorite in the opening round of March Madness. Alabama has a deep backcourt, but star guard Labaron Philon will have to carry a massive workload, while key players like Latrell Wrightsell and Amari Allen must snap out of recent funks, and sophomore Mimai transfer Jalil Bethea will need to play a vital role off the bench.
Final betting odds for 4-seed Alabama vs. 13-seed Hofstra in the Round of 64
- Spread: Alabama -11.5
- Moneyline: Alabama -800; Hofstra +540
- Point total (over/under): 158.5
Odds are from FanDuel Sportsbook and are liable to change at anytime.
Alabama opened -12.5, and Holloway's absence changed the spread by a full point, but as of Friday morning, the Crimson Tide still remains a significant favorite against Hofstra.
Final Prediction for Alabama vs. Hofstra in March Madness
Hofstra's path to victory against Alabama is clear: the Pride plays at a much slower pace than the Crimson Tide, and they will look to dictate it and slow things down to a crawl. If they can force Alabama to play slower, they open the game up to greater variance, and Hofstra will have its best opportunity to pull an upset.
With the way Hofstra rebounds (52nd in O-Reb rate on KenPom), and shoots threes (36.8%), it can cause real problems for Oats and his team.
Hofstra's defensive struggles and their mediocre shooting from inside the three-point range (48% on the season) could be their undoing, however.
Alabama will push the pace every chance it gets, and led by Philon, should have enough juice to take care of business in the opening round even without Holloway, barring an unexpectedly poor shooting night from three.
Expect a big game from Philon, Wrightsell to knock down some key three-pointers, and Alabama to pull away late for a semi-comfortable win to advance to the Round of 32 on Sunday.