One of the great things about college basketball is that BetOnline customers can encounter so much in the way of contrasts in styles. And the people who drew up the brackets couldn’t have come up with more of a contrast as the Alabama Crimson Tide and Saint Mary’s Gaels in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Saint Mary’s lost to Gonzaga - preventing a three-game season sweep of ther ‘Zags - in the West Coast Conference tournament final, while ‘Bama lost to red-hot Florida in the conference tournament for the jam-packed SEC, The Gaels beat an SEC team in their NCAA opener, holding Vanderbilt to 40% shooting in a 59-56 win, while Alabama shot 76% from two-point range in a 90-81 win over Robert Morris (the school, not the person).

Alabama’s grueling schedule has to be considered here. On its way to a 26-8 record for Nate Oats, who once led Buffalo to a 32-win campaign, they registered victories over Illinois, Creighton, North Carolina, Texas A&M, Texas, Kentucky (three times), McNeese State, and two of the five best teams in the field, Auburn and Houston. 

The biggest consideration, however, may be the pace of play. The KenPom analytics service calculates that Alabama is first in the nation in the category of “Adjusted Tempo,” while Saint Mary’s is 360th out of 365 Division I teams. In other words, it’s one team that needs to go slow against another that needs to go fast.

Who can force their game on the other?

In the March Madness betting odds that have been posted on this game by the folks at BetOnline, the Crimson Tide is listed as the favorite:

Alabama Crimson Tide -5.5 (-113)
Saint Mary’s Gaels +5.5 (-107)

Over 149.5 Points -110
Under 149.5 Points -110

And don’t forget that live betting is available on this game. You can keep the action going on every trip down the floor!

If it’s any useful reference, Saint Mary’s engaged in games totaling 120, 141 and 109 points against Gonzaga, which likes to play the up-tempo game. So they have demonstrated some ability to slow things down. If they can get ‘Bama into a lot of half-court situations, they have the ability to take advantage. 

For one thing, even though the Gaels are not a great shooting team, they really pound the boards, ranking second in offensive rebounding percentage and ninth on the defensive end. And Mitchell Saxen is quite a force on the inside; he blocks shots and will give SMC second-shot opportunities, as he’s one of the best offensive rebounders in the nation.

Since the Tide takes 46% of its field goals attempts from beyond the arc, they have the chance to stretch out the Saint Mary’s defense. The Gaels have done pretty well, holding opponents to 31% shooting from downtown, and Mark Sears, Alabama’s 6’1” guard, has been ice cold from long range, making just five of 31 triples in his last five games.

The Gaels draw opponents to the inside when they play defense, so that’s another challenge for ‘Bama - getting their shots off from the arc. And SMC has shown an ability to defend without fouling. Again, the key for Randy Bennett’s team is keeping things down to a reasonable pace so they can exert more control over things.

Alabama is indeed battle-tested, but by now, so is Saint Mary’s, which has recently become a regular visitor to the Big Dance. This one will be fun to watch, and we’ll be happy to take the points.

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