The BYU Cougars and the Alabama Crimson Tide are set to face one another in the Sweet 16 round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Thursday, March 27.
Tip-off is set for 6:09 p.m. central on CBS.
BYU (26-9), a No. 6 seed, is coming off a 91-89 win over No. 3 seed Wisconsin on Saturday. Alabama (27-8), a No. 2 seed, is coming off an 80-66 win over No. 7 seed Saint Mary’s on Sunday.
BYU is in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2011 will be looking to advance to the program’s first Elite Eight appearance since 1981. Meanwhile, Alabama is making its third consecutive Sweet 16 appearance and will try to make its second straight Elite Eight after making a run to the Final Four in 2024.
Here is a preview of the game.
How to Watch BYU vs. Alabama
Date: Thursday, March 27, 2025
Time: 6:09 p.m. CT
TV Channel: CBS
Site: Prudential Center; Newark, NJ
BYU vs. Alabama Betting Odds, Lines
Opening Line: Alabama (-4.5)
Current Line: Alabama (-5.5)
Over/Under: 175.5 (Open: 173.5)
BYU vs. Alabama Predictions
Before the tournament began, both BYU and Alabama lost to the eventual champions of their conference tournaments, and both did so in blowout fashion with the Cougars losing to Houston by 20 points, and the Crimson Tide falling to Florida by 22.
BYU is averaging 85.5 points per game through their first two tournament victories, scoring 80 and 91 points in each game, respectively. Meanwhile, Alabama is averaging 85.0 ppg, scoring 90 and 80 in each game, respectively.
All the statistics point to a real barnburner here, as both teams shoot the ball at an elite level and bring top 10 offenses into the contest. What this game is going to come down to is how well BYU handles Alabama pace, as the Crimson Tide play faster than any team in the country. Bama All-American guard Mark Sears is the key cog in their offense, averaging 18.6 points and 5.0 assists per game.
If BYU is going to advance, they’ll need another big performance from Richie Saunders (16.3 PPG), but perhaps more importantly, a big presence from Keba Keita in the paint.
Alabama’s defense has been suspect down the stretch, and with Kevin Young’s NBA-style offensive attack, the Cougars should give the Tide plenty of issues on that side of the ball. Because of that, I’ll take the Cougars to pull off another upset and advance to the program’s first Elite Eight in over 40 years.
BYU 90, Alabama 87
ESPN Matchup Predictor: Alabama (64.7% Chance to Win)
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
