Alabama Crimson Tide vs North Dakota Fighting Hawks Matchup

Read on to get betting odds and analysis in our Alabama vs North Dakota NCAA Basketball prediction and preview and see who we think will win and cover the spread in Grand Forks.

Alabama vs North Dakota Prediction

Looking to win big? The Crimson Tide and Fighting Hawks face off at 9:00 ET on CBSS. The Fighting Hawks are hosting the game at Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in Grand Forks, ND. Alabama comes into this non-conference matchup as the -25.5 point favorite. The over/under line currently sits at 167.5 points.

Alabama vs. North Dakota Matchup At A Glance

Sport: NCAAB
Teams: Alabama Crimson Tide at North Dakota Fighting Hawks
Where: Grand Forks at Betty Engelstad Sioux Center
Date: Wednesday, December 18th
Betting Odds ALA -25.5, ALA -15000 | NDAK +2520 O/U 167.5

Crimson Tide Preview: Will the Crimson Tide Pull Through as the Favored Road Team?

Alabama improved to 8-2 on the season with an 83-75 win over Creighton on Saturday. The Crimson Tide were -11.5 point favorites at home, but didn’t cover the spread. The game’s total points of 158 fell short of the 163-point O/U line.

Alabama led 37-31 at halftime and scored 46 points in the 2nd half, while allowing 44 points to Creighton.

Crimson Tide Offense Breakdown

Alabama's offense put up 83 points in their last game, shooting 42.9% from the field. They struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 6 of 30 attempts for 20%, but were strong inside, connecting on 60% of their two-point shots. Their effective field goal percentage was 47.1%, and they hit 77.3% from the free-throw line, making 17 of 22 attempts.

Mark Sears led the way with 27 points, shooting 53.3% overall and 57.1% from three, hitting 4 of 7 attempts. Steven Ashworth added 20 points and 9 assists, despite shooting just 25% from three. Ryan Kalkbrenner contributed 18 points, shooting 61.5% from the field, while Jackson McAndrew hit 5 of 8 threes, finishing with 16 points in 19 minutes.

Crimson Tide Team Defense

Alabama's defense gave up 75 points in their last game, with the opposing team shooting 42% from the field on 30 of 70 attempts. The Crimson Tide struggled to contain two-point shots, allowing 24 makes on 40 attempts for a 60% shooting percentage.

From beyond the arc, Alabama's defense held the opposing team to just 6 made threes on 30 attempts, a 20% shooting rate. The Crimson Tide also sent the other team to the free-throw line 22 times, where they converted 17 shots for a 77% success rate. Alabama allowed 17 offensive rebounds in the game.

Fighting Hawks Preview: Is a Home Win Possible for North Dakota?

North Dakota Fighting Hawks Recent Game/Games

North Dakota dropped to 3-9 on the season after a 95-85 home loss to UTSA on Sunday. Entering the game as +1.5 point underdogs, the Fighting Hawks not only lost but also failed to cover the spread.

North Dakota trailed 39-34 at halftime and allowed 56 points in the 2nd half while scoring 51 of their own. The game’s total points reached 180, surpassing the O/U line of 154.5.

Fighting Hawks Offense Breakdown

North Dakota's offense put up 85 points in their last game, shooting 44.6% from the field. They connected on 13 of 33 three-point attempts, hitting 39.4% from deep, and finished with an effective field goal percentage of 55.4%.

Tai'Reon Joseph led the way, hitting 6 of 8 threes and finishing with 28 points in just 25 minutes. The Fighting Hawks grabbed 17 offensive rebounds and dished out 14 assists, but struggled at the free-throw line, shooting just 53.8%.

Fighting Hawks Team Defense

North Dakota's defense struggled in their last game, giving up 95 points while allowing the opposition to shoot 44% from the field. They allowed 29 made field goals, including 16 from two-point range, where the other team shot 50%.

From beyond the arc, North Dakota's opponents hit 13 threes on 33 attempts, a 39% clip. The Fighting Hawks also sent the other team to the free-throw line 26 times, where they converted 14 free throws. North Dakota gave up 17 offensive rebounds as well.

Crimson Tide vs Fighting Hawks Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

Although Alabama has a straight up record of 5-5 in their last ten road games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 5-5. The team averaged 90 points per game in these games.
Although North Dakota has a straight up record of 3-7 in their last ten home games, they have not held up as well vs the spread going 6-4. The team averaged 70 points per game in these games.
In their last ten games as the betting underdog, the Fighting Hawks have a straight up record of 3-7 and an ATS mark of 6-4.
Looking back on the team's last ten games as the favorite, the Crimson Tide have a straight up record of 8-2. Their record vs the spread in these games was 4-6.