The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies, 86-83, on Thursday, March 15 in the first round of March Madness. Alabama covered the spread as two-point underdogs while the game went over the total of 141.5.
The Crimson Tide advanced to face Villanova in the Round of 32. Odds for that matchup will soon be released soon, but a good guess at a preliminary line is that Villanova will be a 10-point favorite against Alabama. Collin Sexton of the Tide will draw a lot of respect but the Wildcats are considered to be a much more complete team.
Sexton scored 25 points and, more importantly, hit huge shots and several free throws in the final minutes to carry the Tide to the finish line. A key second scorer for Bama was John Petty, who came off the bench to hit six-of-eight three-pointers en route to 20 big points. Virginia Tech couldn’t stop either Sexton or Petty. Alabama hit eight-of-18 threes in the game and was able to score a bucket whenever Virginia Tech made a push.
Alabama’s offense was stagnant and ineffective in late February as part of the five-game losing streak which severely jeopardized the Tide’s chances of getting into the NCAA Tournament. The Tide were able to beat Texas A&M in the second round of the SEC Tournament on a buzzer-beating basket by Sexton. Ever since that moment, Alabama’s offense has come alive. It destroyed Auburn in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals and while the Tide ran out of gas in the semifinals against Kentucky, the offensive rhythm they developed last week carried over into this game against Virginia Tech.
Alabama’s odds to win March Madness were at +20000 at BetDSI Sportsbook before this game. With the win, that number should move up slightly before their Round of 32 begins. The Crimson Tide’s next opponent, Villanova, is the favorite to win March Madness with +400 odds.
