College hoops betting interest focuses on the Florida vs Alabama battle Friday at New Orleans Arena as the Gators look to defend home court and cover the NCAAB point spread.

The SEC Tournament battle is part of the annual season-ending league tournament. The Sportsbook gets an automatic berth in the Madness, while all teams are trying to prove they deserve a spot. The game is being played at New Orleans Arena, which makes it technically a neutral site match.

Florida battles the Crimson Tide, currently sitting with a 21-10 mark (12-15 ATS). The OVER/UNDER records, always important for totals bettors, are 16-10 for the Gators and 14-13 for the Crimson Tide.



View Alabama vs Florida Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
College basketball odds makers opened the Gators as 3-point favorites in this matchupl.

Power Rankings / Prediction:
According to new college basketball power rankings here, it's the No. 54-ranked Gators and the No. 23-rated Crimson Tide in this matchup. Computer formulas aimed at predicting NCAAB scores point to a 77-74 win for the Gators on Friday.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Florida's No. 24 nationally ranked offense (76.8 points per game) against a Crimson Tide defense that sits as the No. 9 at 57.9 PPG. The Gators have been averaging 46.2% from the field, more than the Crimson Tide have managed so far this season (44.9% on average).

Defensively, Alabama features the nation's No. 21-rated defense on the road, allowing 62.4 points per game. Florida, meanwhile, comes in at No. 20 nationally in scoring at home.

Alabama was a 63-57 Sportsbook in its last match at home against South Carolina. They failed to cover the 9.5-point spread as favorites. The Crimson Tide got 15 points from Trevor Lacey as Alabama ran past South Carolina 63-57 on Thursday at New Orleans Arena.

In their last action, Florida was a 74-59 loser at home against Kentucky. They failed to cover the 5.5-point spread as underdogs. Patric Young scored 21 points in a futile effort to lead the Gators to a win (they lost 74-59 to Kentucky at Stephen O'Connell Center on Sunday).


Alabama Crimson Tide Trends:
When playing on Friday are 7-3
After playing South Carolina are 4-6
After a win are 7-3

Florida Gators Trends:
When playing on Friday are 8-2
After playing Kentucky are 7-3
After a loss are 7-3

A few Crimson Tide at Gators trends to consider:
Florida is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing Alabama
Florida is 17-7 SU in its last 24 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Florida's last 6 games when playing Alabama
Florida is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games