Seton Hall Pirates vs Alabama Crimson Tide Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Week 2

Two 3-0 teams meet at Coleman Coliseum with opposite identities: Alabama scores 102.0 points per game, while Seton Hall allows just 54.7 points per game.

The Matchup

Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa hosts a clash of unbeaten teams with opposite identities. No. 18 Alabama, out of the Southeastern Conference, is 3-0 while scoring 102.0 points per game and allowing 76.0 points per game. London Jemison leads the Crimson Tide with 14.3 points per game, and Amari Allen fills the sheet with 7.0 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game, a distributor who keeps the fastest offense in this matchup constantly supplied.

Seton Hall, from the Big East Conference, is also 3-0, but the Pirates win the other way: 67.0 points scored per game and just 54.7 points allowed per game, the stingiest defensive mark in this batch. Roddie Anderson leads Seton Hall with 17.0 points per game, Mihailo Petrovic adds 3.0 assists per game, and Elijah Fisher pulls down 5.7 rebounds per game. A team that defends like this and has one reliable scorer is built to shorten games against favorites who want a track meet.

Both teams have played three games, so the rating behind the projection blends this season with last season in equal parts. Alabama went 25-10 last season and blends to plus 17.2 points per game, a clear edge, while Seton Hall went 21-12 and blends to plus 8.7. That blended gap supports Alabama as a solid home favorite, but it is roughly half the margin the market posted, because the market is paying full price for 102.0 points per game in November. Anderson, Fisher, Jemison and Allen all carry no injury designations into this game.

Key Factors

The first factor is pace, and it is the whole game. Alabama wants the total of 156.5 to feel low, sprinting behind Allen at 7.0 assists per game, while Seton Hall wants long, physical possessions that end with the shot clock as a defender. The Pirates allowing 54.7 points per game have won that fight in every game so far, and a slower game compresses the margin almost by definition.

The second factor is whether Seton Hall can score enough to stay attached when Alabama has its inevitable run. Anderson at 17.0 points per game is a real answer, but the Pirates at 67.0 points per game have little margin for a cold quarter, and Alabama allowing 76.0 points per game will happily trade baskets all night.

The counterpoint is that Alabama's offense may simply be too much: 102.0 points per game at home, a ranked roster, and a creator in Allen who can pick apart a set defense as easily as a broken floor. If the Tide shoot well early and force Seton Hall to chase, the Pirates have to abandon the slow game that is their only path, and the margin can balloon quickly. The pick trusts the best defense in the matchup to drag this into the kind of game where a spread this large is very difficult to clear.

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.