If all things were equal, a 12-5 road team facing an 11-6 home team should give the home team an advantage. For the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Oklahoma Sooners, there is little 'equal' to be found.
The two teams will tangle at noon on Saturday in Norman, OK. For an SEC basketball game, the crowd is expected to be small. The Sooners are averaging only slightly more than 5,000 fans for games in the Lloyd Nolan Center. That is the smallest fan support in the SEC.
The Sooners have not given their fans much to cheer about recently. Oklahoma is on a three-game losing streak. The ESPN BPI gives the Sooners the No. 83 Strength of Schedule (SOS). The Crimson Tide has the No. 1 SOS. According to the ESPN model, Oklahoma has no quality wins.
Another short-handed game for the Alabama Crimson Tide
The Sooners may have only one advantage, but it could be a significant one. Depending on whether Taylor Bol Bowen will be able to play, Alabama could have another game with only eight scholarship players available. Bol Bowen will be a game-time decision.
The Sooners have two good scoring guards, but according to Stormin' In Norman, the pair does not score well in the same game. That 'either-or' situation could mean Oklahoma will have a difficult time keeping up with Alabama's high-scoring output.
Former Alabama Crimson Tide big man, Mo Wague, has been solid for the Sooners, but for one problem. Due to foul issues, Wague only played a total of 34 minutes in Oklahoma's losses to Mississippi State and Texas A&M. His rim protection is essential for the Sooners. Still, Alabama may be down too many big men to force many fouls by Wague. Another former Alabama player, Derrion Reid, could cause problems in the paint when Nate Oats has the thin-roster Crimson Tide playing small ball.
Stormin' In Norman does not give the Sooners much of a chance to upset the Crimson Tide. The site's prediction is an Alabama win by nine points.