Alabama vs. Rutgers prediction, odds & picks for Nov 27 | College Basketball Season 2024-25

On Wednesday, the Alabama Crimson Tide (5-1) face the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-1) in the second round of the Players Era Festival Impact Tournament at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Both teams are coming off closely-fought wins that tested their characters and determination to win outside their homecourts. Rutgers edged past Notre Dame in overtime, 85–84, to arrange a second-round clash with the No. 9 Alabama, which picked up a morale-boosting win over the No. 6 Houston, 85–80.

Let's examine the odds and predictions for this much-anticipated clash between Division I schools.

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Alabama vs Rutgers prediction

Alabama and Rutgers are off to a good start this season, winning five of their first six games.

The Crimson Tide won their first three games before succumbing to Purdue in a nonconference game between two Final Four-competing teams last season. The Nate Oats-coached squad immediately bounced back with victories against the No. 25 Illinois (100–87) and Houston (85–80).

Alabama has relied on a balanced attack in which five players average at least 9.3 points per contest. Mark Sears leads the Crimson Tide in scoring with 15.5 points per game and Grant Nelson is close behind at 14.0 ppg.

Latrell Wrightsell Jr., freshman Labaron Philon and Aden Holloway have also stepped up to help Sears and Nelson carry the load on offense.

Wrightsell averaged 12.7 ppg, 2.0 rpg and 2.2 apg while Philon averaged 10.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 4.7 apg and 1.2 spg. Holloway is close to averaging 10.0 ppg at 9.3 per contest as he plays as the team's top shooter with a 41.7% clip from the 3-point line.

On the other hand, Rutgers has opened the season with four straight wins before absorbing a two-point loss to Kennesaw State last Sunday. The Scarlet Knights escaped the jaws of defeat when they held on to nip Notre Dame in overtime.

Five-star freshmen Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey have been at the forefront of Rutgers' surge in the 2024-25 college basketball season. Harper averaged 22.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg and 5.3 apg.

On the other hand, the equally talented Bailey averaged 16.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 1.3 spg, helping the Scarlet Knights' offense gather points against rival schools.

The duo has received quality help from Lathan Sommerville and Jordan Derkack. Sommerville averaged 9.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg and 1.5 bpg, while Derkack averaged 8.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.5 apg and 1.5 spg.

The Rutgers-Alabama clash is the biggest test so far for Harper and Bailey who are widely expected to be high first-round draft picks in the 2025 NBA draft. They'll be challenged by a Final Four team determined to make next year's national championship game.

On the other hand, the Crimson Tide aim to stretch their winning streak to three games and move up the Top 25 rankings next week after dropping from No. 2 to No. 9 this week.

The over/under for this game is 162.5 with Alabama coming in as a 10.5-point favorite over Rutgers (per ESPN Bet). However, due to the offensive prowess of Harper and Bailey, expect the Scarlet Knights to close in on the spread.

Prediction: Alabama Crimson Tide 84, Rutgers Scarlet Knights 80.

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Alabama vs Rutgers odds

Team	Spread	Total	Moneyline
Alabama	-10.5 (-105)	Under 162.5 (-105)	-550
Rutgers	+10.5 (-115)	Over 162.5 (-115)	+400

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Alabama vs Rutgers head-to-head

This is only the second time the Scarlet Knights and Crimson Tide have met on the court. The first and only time was on Dec. 27, 1969, with Alabama winning the game over Rutgers, 80–69.

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How to watch Alabama vs Rutgers

The game will air live on TBS on Wednesday at 10:00 p.m. ET from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Livestream content is available on Sling.