Posted at 2:30 PM EST. Odds subject to change.

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Ole Miss +5 over Alabama

The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss, Oxford, MS

Streaming: ESPN 2

7:00 PM EST. The Crimson Tide of Alabama have punched their tickets to the NCAA Tournament on the heels of a run of 13 wins over their last 16 games going back to December 23. That run came at the end of a three-game losing streak that saw the Tide bounced from the AP Top-25, a list to which they returned at the end of January. Since then, the Tide has risen to #14 in the polls, which, of course, puts a huge target on their backs. Furthermore, when a ranked team plays an unranked team, that ranked team’s stock is even further inflated.

To that end, enter the Rebels of Ole Miss, who are in search of a signature win, as they are on the outside looking in of the March Madness bubble. The Rebels are 19-8, but 6-8 in the meat grinder that is the SEC. Ole Miss has struggled of late, losing five of its last six, but the Rebels dropped four of those games to ranked teams in then #16 Auburn, then #15 South Carolina, then #22 Kentucky, and then #20 South Carolina (again) on Saturday. There is no shame in any of those losses nor is there shame in losing to rival Mississippi State, as the Bulldogs are ranked 27th in the Power Rankings.

This is a tough scheduling spot for the Tide, as they are coming off two straight games against ranked opponents (Florida and Kentucky), while having two ranked opponents on deck, including Tennessee on Saturday at home in Tuscaloosa on Saturday. Those are the same Volunteers that the Crimson Tide are fighting with for the SEC regular-season title. This trip to Oxford is nothing more than an inconvenience, and it’s the perfect sandwich spot to catch Alabama looking ahead to a much more significant game on their schedule.

Sherwood

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