2025 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 odds, predictions: BYU vs. Alabama picks from proven expert on 5-0 run

The sixth-seeded BYU Cougars will battle the second-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide in an East Region Sweet 16 matchup at the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Thursday. BYU is looking to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1981, while Alabama will look to advance to the Elite Eight for the second year in a row. The Cougars (26-9), who tied for third in the Big 12 Conference at 14-6, are 5-4 against ranked opponents in 2024-25. The Crimson Tide (27-8), who placed third in the Southeastern Conference at 13-5, have won 12 of 19 games against ranked foes.

Tipoff from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., is set for 7:09 p.m. ET. Alabama won the last meeting, a 71-59 decision during the 2018 season. Alabama is a 5.5-point favorite in the latest BYU vs. Alabama odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 176.5. The over/under for total points scored in the first half is 83.5. Before making any Alabama vs. BYU picks, check out the college basketball predictions from SportsLine expert Josh Nagel.

Nagel has a strong read on college basketball, specifically the BYU Cougars. He is 5-0 (+500) on his last five against-the-spread picks in BYU games. Anyone following him could have seen huge returns.

Now, he has set his sights on BYU vs. Alabama and just locked his March Madness predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are the college basketball odds and lines for Alabama vs. BYU:

• BYU vs. Alabama spread: Alabama -5.5
• BYU vs. Alabama over/under: 176.5 points  
• BYU vs. Alabama money line: Alabama -214, BYU +176
• BYU: The Cougars have hit the team total over in 15 of their last 18 games (+11.45 units) )  
• ALA: The Crimson Tide have hit the money line in 27 of their last 38 games (+3.15 units)  
• BYU vs. Alabama picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why Alabama can cover

Selected to the All-SEC first team for the second year in a row, senior guard Mark Sears has also had a solid tournament. He scored 22 points, while adding 10 assists and five rebounds in a 90-81 win over Robert Morris in the first round. He had 12 points and three assists in Sunday’s 80-66 win over Saint Mary’s. He is third in the SEC with 18.6 points per game, is second with 650 points and second with 176 assists.

Senior forward Grant Nelson also helps power the Alabama offense. He had a solid performance in the win over Saint Mary’s, scoring 12 points, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out two assists. He had a near double-double in a 93-91 overtime win over Auburn on March 8, scoring 23 points and adding eight rebounds. He has started 32 of 35 games, averaging 11.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 blocks in 25.3 minutes. See Nagel’s pick here.

Why BYU can cover 

Junior forward Richie Saunders, who was named the Big 12’s most improved player, earned All-Big 12 first-team honors. He has scored in double figures in 18 of his last 21 games. He hit three of four 3-pointers and finished with 25 points and seven rebounds in the 91-89 win over Wisconsin on Saturday. In the 80-71 first-round win over VCU, he scored 16 points, while adding four rebounds, two assists and two steals. He has started all 34 games he has played in, averaging 16.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 29.3 minutes.

Freshman guard Egor Demin also helps pace the BYU attack. He was dominant in the win over Wisconsin on Saturday, scoring 11 points, while adding eight rebounds, eight assists and one steal. He also reached double-digit scoring in the tournament opening win over VCU, scoring 15 points, while adding four rebounds and two assists. He has started all 32 games he has played in, averaging 10.5 points, 5.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds in 27.5 minutes. See which team to pick here.

How to make Alabama vs. BYU picks

For Thursday night’s matchup, Nagel is leaning under the total, but he also says a critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back. See what it is at SportsLine.

So who wins BYU vs. Alabama, and which side of the spread should you be jumping all over? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from a red-hot college basketball expert that is on a 5-0 roll on BYU picks, and find out