North Alabama Lions vs Oklahoma Sooners Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Week 2

Oklahoma already lost at home this season, 68-64 to East Texas A&M, and now it lays 26.5 against a 2-0 North Alabama team that won its road opener at UC Davis. The Sooners may get right, but this number assumes they already have.

The Matchup

North Alabama visits Oklahoma on Monday night at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, on SECN+, with Oklahoma a 26.5-point favorite, a total of 147.5, and the Sooners priced at -20,000 on the moneyline against North Alabama at +3,500. Oklahoma is 1-1. North Alabama is 2-0, and the favorite is the team with the loss that needs explaining.

Oklahoma lost 68-64 to East Texas A&M at home, then beat Mississippi Valley State 84-57. Derrion Reid leads the Sooners at 15.5 points and 7.5 rebounds a game, and Pop Isaacs is at 4.5 assists a game. North Alabama won 79-75 at UC Davis and beat Union (TN) 76-66 at home. Mike Evbagharu leads the Lions at 15.0 points and 6.5 rebounds a game, and Drey Carter is at 2.0 assists a game on a team that spreads its creation around.

Last season Oklahoma went 19-15, scoring 82.7 points a game and allowing 77.1. North Alabama went 9-21, scoring 69.4 and allowing 77.6. The Sooners were clearly the better program, and they still are on paper. But this season's Oklahoma team has already shown its floor, at home, against East Texas A&M, and North Alabama's 2-0 start includes exactly the kind of road win, at UC Davis, that tells you the Lions will not be rattled by the building.

Key Factors

Oklahoma's home form is a profile with no middle, a home loss to East Texas A&M and a 27-point win over Mississippi Valley State, and a 26.5-point spread needs the good version of the Sooners for most of the night. Reid is a real talent, and Isaacs can run the offense, but the Sooners scored only 64 in their loss and 74.0 a game across their two outings, well below last season's scoring level.

North Alabama's case is steadiness. The Lions won at UC Davis by playing a full road game, and Evbagharu scores and rebounds at the front of everything they do. The total of 147.5 points to a slower, lower-scoring game, and in that kind of game 26.5 points is a mountain for a favorite that has scored in the 60s and 80s.

The honest counterpoint is the talent gap, which is wide. Oklahoma's roster is built for the SEC, North Alabama's is not, and a proud team that just lost at home often takes it out on the next visitor. If the Sooners defend with urgency from the tip and Reid takes over early, the Lions' thin creation, Carter leads them at just 2.0 assists a game, could crack. The bet is that a team with Oklahoma's first two results has not earned a spread in the high 20s.

Every pick is published with its line before the game. Odds via consensus sportsbooks at time of writing and move constantly. Must be 21+. If gambling is a problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.