College of Charleston vs. Alabama March Madness Preview and Prediction

In the No. 13 vs. No. 4 matchup in the NCAA Tournament West Region, the College of Charleston Cougars face the Alabama Crimson Tide in first-round action.

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How to Watch College of Charleston vs. Alabama

When: 7:35 pm ET on Friday, March 22nd

Where: Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, Washington

Watch: TruTV

Odds for College of Charleston vs. Alabama

(odds current at time of publish)

Spread: Alabama -10.5

Total: 170.5

DraftKings Betting Splits | Live College Basketball Odds | College of Charleston vs. Alabama Matchup

West Region No. 13 College of Charleston Cougars

The Cougars are a top-100 team when it comes to our VSiN Power Ratings, as well as the adjusted efficiency rankings from KenPom and Bart Torvik. So, this is a team that looks like a high-major program when it comes to advanced stats. Charleston goes as the offense goes. The Cougars play at a very fast pace and get up a lot of 3-pointers. That makes them a high-variance team, but it also makes them a dangerous one. If they get hot, they have the potential to knock off big-name programs. Keep an eye on Reyne Smith here. Charleston has something of an equal-opportunity offense, but Smith is capable of getting going in a big way.

West Region No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide

Nate Oats is still the head coach of the Crimson Tide, so they naturally have a top-five offense in college basketball. Alabama plays at one of the fastest paces in the nation, and the team launches a ton of 3s — and drills them at a high clip. Mark Sears has been as good as any guard in the country this year, and he’s a player that people could fall in love with in the tournament. The issue with Alabama is that the defense is an absolute nightmare. The Tide don’t even crack the nation’s top 100 on that end of the floor. So, they’ll be vulnerable against a team that can get the job done on both offensively and defensively. 

College of Charleston vs. Alabama Preview & Prediction

If good offense is what gets your motor running, be sure to oil up prior to this game. Alabama and Charleston both play at heightened tempos and both make a lot of shots while taking a lot of 3s. The CAA  champs took a 3-pointer on 47.1% of their shot attempts and the Crimson Tide took one on 46.8% of their shot attempts. Both teams also shot better than the national average, with Alabama a top-35 squad in 3P%.

It will be interesting to see how many people look to fade Alabama. The Crimson Tide were horrendous on defense down the stretch, including three games in which they allowed over 100 points. Alabama guard Aaron Estrada is a really interesting player here, as he played four years for Hofstra before moving to Tuscaloosa, so he is plenty familiar with the Cougars, who won the CAA bid last season without having to face Estrada’s Pride.

Charleston actually played really tight with San Diego State last season, despite a 5-of-24 performance from 3 and a 13-of-32 performance inside the arc. Last year’s group was much more formidable on defense than this year’s group, but this offense is quite a bit better.

The Cougars get inside a lot less than Alabama, so I’ll be curious to see how that dynamic plays out, as it will take a really impressive shooting performance from Pat Kelsey’s team to advance, but they are plenty capable of it in a track meet type of game.

As with most games like this, there is a big strength of schedule discrepancy, as Charleston played just one Quadrant 1 game and three Quadrant 2 games, while Alabama played 14 Q1 and eight Q2. Charleston was also 8-2 in close games, including the CAA title game against Stony Brook.

Estimated Score: Alabama 92, Charleston 82

For expert predictions, go to our college basketball best bets page.

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