No. 4 seed Alabama begins its 2024 NCAA Tournament run on Friday against No. 13 Charleston in a West Region first-round matchup. The Crimson Tide went 21-11 this season, finishing in a four-way tie for second place in the SEC standings at 13-5. Charleston, meanwhile, won both the CAA regular season and tournament titles with a 27-7 overall record and a 15-3 conference mark.

Tipoff is set for 7:35 p.m. ET from Spokane, Wash. The Crimson Tide are 9-point favorites in the latest Alabama vs. Charleston odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under is 173 (see up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page). 

Before making any Charleston vs. Alabama picks, you need to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the 2024 NCAA tournament on a 148-106 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,700 for $100 players. It also has a strong 29-19 (+810) record on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following has seen HUGE returns!

The model has factored in that Alabama leads the nation in scoring at 90.8 points per game. Nate Oats' squad lacks a dominant big man, but the Tide have gotten tremendous guard play, especially from Mark Sears. He averages 21.1 points per game and has hit 43.1% of his 3-point attempt.

The model has also considered that Charleston might have the firepower to keep up. The Cougars average 80.5 points per game and feature six players who average at least 8.0 points per game. Reyne Smith leads the way at 12.8 points per game, while forward Ante Brzovic averages 12.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. 

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

Who wins Alabama vs. Charleston, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the spread you should be all over, all from that's on a 29-19 roll on top-rated college basketball spread picks!