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The sixth-seeded BYU Cougars will look to continue their march toward their first-ever Final Four appearance when they battle the second-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide in their East Region Sweet 16 matchup in the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Thursday. BYU held off third-seeded Wisconsin 91-89 on Saturday, while Alabama defeated seventh-seeded Saint Mary's 80-66 on Sunday. The Cougars (26-9), who are 17-31 in 32 NCAA Tournament appearances, last advanced past the first round in 2012. The Crimson Tide (27-8), who are 31-25 in 26 tournament appearances, reached the Final Four for the first time in program history last year.

Tipoff from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., is set for 7:09 p.m. ET. Alabama holds a 2-0 edge in the all-time series, with the Crimson Tide earning a 71-59 win in their last meeting in 2018. Alabama is a 5.5-point favorite in the latest Alabama vs. BYU odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 175.5. Before making any BYU vs. Alabama picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the Sweet 16 round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on a 228-168 roll (+1815) on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to 2023. This model has also produced brackets that have beaten over 91% of CBS Sports entries in four of the last six tournaments and has nailed 25 first-round upsets by double-digit seeds. Anyone following could have seen huge returns.

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

  • Alabama vs. BYU spread: Alabama -5.5
  • Alabama vs. BYU over/under: 175.5 points  
  • Alabama vs. BYU money line: Alabama -217, BYU +182
  • BYU: The Cougars have hit the money line in 26 of their last 35 games (+18.60 units)  
  • ALA: The Crimson Tide have hit the team total over in 23 of their last 39 games (+4.59 units)  
  • Alabama vs. BYU picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why Alabama can cover

Senior guard Mark Sears has had a solid tournament so far. In the first round 90-81 win over Robert Morris, he registered a double-double with 22 points, 10 assists and five rebounds. He followed that up with a 12-point and three-assist effort in Sunday's win over Saint Mary's. In 35 games this season, all starts, he is averaging 18.6 points, five assists and three rebounds in 32.3 minutes.

Also helping power the Crimson Tide is senior forward Grant Nelson. He posted a near double-double with 12 points, eight rebounds and two assists in the win over Saint Mary's. He had 23 points and eight rebounds in a 93-91 overtime win over Auburn on March 8. In 35 games, including 32 starts, he is averaging 11.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 blocks in 25.3 minutes. See which team to pick here.

Why BYU can cover 

Junior forward Richie Saunders is off to a solid start to the NCAA Tournament. He scored 25 points, including three of four from 3-point range, and added seven rebounds in Saturday's win over Wisconsin. He had 16 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in an 80-71 win over VCU in the opening round. In 34 games, all starts, he is averaging 16.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 29.3 minutes.

The Cougars are also led by freshman guard Egor Demin. He nearly registered a triple-double against the Badgers on Saturday, posting 11 points, eight rebounds and eight assists with one steal. He scored 15 points, while adding four rebounds and two assists in the first-round win over VCU. In 32 games, all starts, he is 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

SportsLine's model is leaning Under on the total, projecting 167 combined points. It has also generated an against-the-spread pick that hits in over 60% of simulations. You can only get the model's picks at SportsLine.

So who wins Alabama vs. BYU, and which side of the spread hits in over 60% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the BYU vs. Alabama spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has returned more than $1,800 on its top-rated college basketball picks, and find out.