A pair of surprising teams will meet in an Elite Eight showdown on Saturday night when the No. 4 seed Alabama Crimson Tide face the No. 6 seed Clemson Tigers. Alabama took down No. 1 seed North Carolina in the Sweet 16 to reach just its second Elite Eight in school history. Clemson has only been to this stage once before as well, and it earned another opportunity when it beat No. 2 seed Arizona on Thursday. 

Tipoff is set for 8:49 p.m. ET from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The Crimson Tide are favored by 3.5 points in the latest Alabama vs. Clemson odds, per SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 164.5.

Before making any Clemson vs. Alabama picks or NCAA Tournament predictions, you need to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model. (See up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page.)

The model simulates every Div. I college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered the Sweet 16 round of the 2024 NCAA tournament on a 152-109 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,800 for $100 players. It also has a strong 32-21 (+890) record on top-rated spread picks this season, and it called 13 Sweet 16 teams this year. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.

The model knows that the Crimson Tide have one of the most dynamic offenses in college basketball, and they have put it on full display during the NCAA Tournament. They scored 109 points in a blowout win over Charleston in the first round before scoring 89 points when they knocked off North Carolina on Thursday. Senior forward Grant Nelson had 24 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks in a masterful performance. 

But the model also has taken into account that the Tigers have a dominant big man in senior PJ Hall, who scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the win over Arizona on Thursday. Hall led Clemson to a road win at Alabama in November, finishing with 21 points and eight rebounds. Junior forward Ian Schieffelin had nine points and 14 rebounds in that game, while senior guard Joseph Girard III chipped in 16 points. 

For Saturday, the model has set its sights on Alabama vs. Clemson. We can tell you the model is leaning Under on the point total, and it also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations. You ABSOLUTELY need to see the model before locking in any college basketball picks.

Who wins Alabama vs. Clemson, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the Clemson vs. Alabama spread you should be all over Saturday, all from the model on a 152-109 roll on college basketball picks!