Alabama vs. Virginia Tech Betting Line, Preview

The Alabama vs. Virginia Tech betting line had VTech at Hokies -1.5.  Reviewing the College Basketball Betting Power Ratings we see that the line appears to be on the money.  SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE

The Hokies come into this game 21-11 Straight Up and has been impressive Against The Spread, going 17-11.

They did struggle down the stretch, losing three of four outright.  They did cover the spread in six of the last ten games.

The Hokies are deadly from long range and offer up an amazing fast break. Their record includes victories against the likes of North Carolina, Clemson, Virginia, Duke and NC State, so this team is not one to write off.

The Hokies feature five double-figure scorers in Justin Robinson, Justin Bibbs, Kerry Blackshear, Devin Hill, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

Virginia Tech tends to go small and has trouble rebounding.  Opponents will need to penetrate their defense.

This small-ball lineup is easily exploited on the boards but can Alabama take advantage?

The Tide were the best defensive team in the SEC and can limit opportunities in transition.  This might not be enough to prevent VTech from winning, however. Consistent scoring is an issue for Alabama as are turnovers and poor shooting.  Alabama was 10th or worse in offensive and defensive rebounding percentage in SEC action.

The Crimson Tide owns a ho-hum 19-14 record Straight Up and 17-15-1 record Against The Spread. They only won four games Straight Up in their last ten. 

A low-scoring, low-possession game may favor Alabama but 21 of 34 games went UNDER the total for the Tide this season and they still own a Straight Up record that is just a few games above the .500 mark.

Virginia Tech will really have to be sleep walking in this game to lose.

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- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com