NCAA Basketball: ACC Conference Tournament Championship - Duke vs Louisville
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The top teams in the East Region collide when the second-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide take on the top-seeded Duke Blue Devils in an Elite Eight matchup on Saturday. Duke advanced with a 100-93 win over Arizona, while Alabama topped BYU 113-88 in the Sweet 16 on Thursday. The Crimson Tide (28-8), who are in the Elite Eight for the second year in a row, are looking to make their second-ever Final Four, joining last year's team. The Blue Devils (34-3), who lost in the Elite Eight in 2024, are looking to reach the Final Four for the first time since 2022.

Tipoff from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., is set for 8:49 p.m. ET. Duke holds an 8-1 edge in the all-time series, with the Blue Devils earning a 74-64 win in their last meeting in 2013-14. Duke is a 6.5-point favorite in the latest Duke vs. Alabama odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 175. Before making any Alabama vs. Duke 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 this matchup 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 Alabama vs. Duke 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 Duke vs. Alabama:

  • Duke vs. Alabama spread: Duke -6.5
  • Duke vs. Alabama over/under: 175 points  
  • Duke vs. Alabama money line: Duke -351, Alabama +278
  • ALA: The Crimson Tide has hit the team total over in 24 of their last 39 games (+6.69 units)  
  • DUKE: The Blue Devils have hit the money line in 35 of their last 39 games (+25.70 units)  
  • Duke vs. Alabama picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why Duke can cover

Freshman forward Cooper Flagg, the ACC Player of the Year, powers the Blue Devils. He is coming off a 30-point, seven-assist, six-rebound and three-block performance in Thursday's win over Arizona. He had a near double-double with 18 points, nine rebounds and six assists in an 89-66 win over Baylor in the second round. In 35 games, all starts, he is averaging 19 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks in 30.3 minutes.

Also powering the Blue Devils is freshman guard Kon Knueppel. In the win over Arizona, he poured in 20 points, while adding four rebounds and three assists. He had 18 points, eight rebounds and three assists in a 73-62 win over Louisville in the ACC Tournament championship game. In 37 games, all starts, he is averaging 14.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists and one steal in 30.1 minutes. See which team to pick here.

Why Alabama can cover 

The Crimson Tide are coming off a record performance in the win over BYU, connecting on 25 3-pointers, most in tournament history. Senior guard Mark Sears led the onslaught with 10 3-pointers and finished with 34 points, eight assists, three rebounds and three steals. Sears recorded a double-double with 22 points, 10 assists and five rebounds in a 90-81 first-round win over Robert Morris. In 36 games, all starts, he is averaging 19 points, 5.1 assists and three rebounds in 32.3 minutes.

Sophomore guard Aden Holloway also had a solid performance in the win over BYU. He hit six 3-pointers and finished with 23 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals. He had 12 points and three assists in an 80-66 win over Saint Mary's in the second round. In 36 games, all off the bench, he is averaging 11.6 points, two assists and 1.9 rebounds in 21.1 minutes. See which team to pick here.

How to make Alabama vs. Duke picks

SportsLine's model is leaning Under on the total, projecting 163 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits more than 50% of the time. You can only get the model's picks at SportsLine.

So who wins Duke vs. Alabama, and which side of the spread hits more than 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Alabama vs. Duke spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that has returned nearly $1,900 on its top-rated college basketball picks, and find out.