#13 LSU at Alabama Odds, Best Bets & Prediction

#13 LSU at Alabama Preview

The incredible depth in the SEC will be on full display Wednesday night when the Alabama Crimson Tide hosts the No. 13 LSU Tigers. While Alabama has been knocked out of the top 25 thanks to three straight losses, the Crimson Tide are not to be overlooked. Meanwhile, LSU is coming off a loss over the weekend and will be eager to get back on track.

LSU Tigers Preview

The Tigers have quickly been educated on how deep the SEC is early in the conference season. After three impressive wins over Kentucky, Florida, and Arkansas, the Tigers lost at home to Arkansas over the weekend, dropping them to 3-2 in conference play after a perfect 12-0 non-conference record. LSU’s schedule for the rest of January is no cakewalk, so they can’t afford one loss to lead to more.

Point guard Xavier Pinson has missed LSU’s last two games, throwing their rotation out of whack and explaining why the Tigers barely put Florida away last week and lost to Arkansas over the weekend. The Missouri transfer is likely a game-time decision for Wednesday’s game, creating some uncertainty for LSU. Without Pinson, the pressure shifts to sophomore Eric Gaines and freshman Brandon Murray in the LSU backcourt. Gaines has stepped up over the last two games and has had two of his best games in Pinson’s absence. However, while Murray scored 10 points against Florida, he had just two points in the loss to Arkansas. Neither is a double-digit scorer, so it’s asking a lot for them to fill in for Pinson’s 10.9 points per game and his ball-handling responsibilities, especially without much depth in the LSU backcourt.

The silver lining for the Tigers is they are led by forwards Tari Eason and Darius Days, who average 15.4 and 14 points per game, respectively. But Days fell flat in the loss to Arkansas, fouling out with just three points. Without Pinson, he becomes LSU’s only serious three-point shooting threat. Meanwhile, Eason has just 19 points and five rebounds combined over his last two games, as he was in foul trouble for the entire Florida game and never fully got going against Arkansas. Fortunately for the Tigers, they have good size and athleticism in the frontcourt from players like Efton Reid, Mwani Wilkinson, and Shareef O’Neal, who has started to contribute more these past two games. But outside of Eason and Days, they don’t have any consistent frontcourt scorers.

Alabama Crimson Tide Preview

After starting the season 8-1, something hasn’t been right about Alabama over the last month. Keep in mind that the Crimson Tide has wins this season over Miami, Gonzaga, and Houston. However, they’ve also lost five of their last eight games, losing to both Memphis and Davidson outside of the conference. After starting the SEC season 2-0, Alabama has suffered consecutive losses to Missouri, Auburn, and Mississippi State.

Defensive struggles have contributed to Alabama’s recent demise, as the Crimson Tide is averaging 81.8 points per game. Nate Oats’ team boasts one of the best backcourts in the SEC with Jaden Shackelford, Jahvon Quinerly, and Keon Ellis. All three are averaging over 12 points per game and play well together. Quinerly is leading the way at point guard with 4.2 assists per game while Shackelford and Ellis are both shooting over 35% from three-point range. Freshman JD Davison has also added to the backcourt as a second ball-handler who’s average 4.2 assists per game despite being inconsistent with his scoring.

In the frontcourt, Alabama has some steady contributors but no serious difference makers. Juwan Gary has gotten into foul trouble during Alabama’s recent skid and his lack of production has been noticeable. In fairness, Darius Miles has stepped up in his place while Noah Gurley usually provides the Crimson Tide with good minutes. However, Alabama is lacking size and interior defense outside of seven-foot freshman Charles Bediako, who is coming off a strong effort in the loss to Mississippi State over the weekend but isn’t yet a consistent force offensively or on the boards.

#13 LSU at Alabama Prediction

On paper, this game looks like a toss-up between the Tigers and the Tide with Pinson’s status adding another level of uncertainty. Even without their point guard, LSU is one of the best defensive teams in the SEC, which could allow the Tigers to force a close, low-scoring game, which they likely need to win. But if the Crimson Tide can push the tempo and push the scoring into the 70s and beyond, LSU may not have enough scoring depth to keep up with Alabama’s loaded backcourt. 

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