Alabama vs Hofstra: Clash of Styles

0:00On March 19th, Alabama heads into the NCAA Am Tournament as the number 4 seed and faces off against the number 13 seeded Hofstra Pride on Friday. The game tips off at 1.15 pm. Central time on March 20th and airs on True TV, or you can catch it on HBO Max if you have that service. Despite some recent trouble, the Crimson Tide remain heavy favorites. The big news hit earlier this week when Guard Aiden Holloway got arrested, ruling him out for the match-up. He's a key 3rd team all SEC player, and his absence forces Alabama to adjust their usual high-autane offense. Fans and analysts are buzzing about how this changes things for the Tide. Without Holloway, the team leans more on Labyrinthy Lawn Jr. to run the show, shifting towards solid half-core play instead of their typical, running gun style. Meanwhile, the pace difference stands out big time. Alabama ranks fourth nationally in a just a tempo, while Hofstra sits at 317th, favoring slow, methodical sets.

1:01Odds makers have Alabama winning by 11.5 points according to FanDuel, but it's the tightest spread among all number 4 versus number. 13 games. This clash of styles should make for a fascinating watch, especially seeing if Alabama can impose their speed or if Hofstra's deliberate approach holds up over 40 minutes.