Alabama Crimson Tide vs LSU Tigers Prediction, 2/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Alabama Crimson Tide vs LSU Tigers

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Location: Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge, LA

TV: SEC Network

The LSU Tigers (14-12) will compete against the Alabama Crimson Tide (19-7) at Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Saturday.

The Alabama Crimson Tide stepped onto the hardwood against Arkansas and walked away with a win by a score of 117-115 in their last contest. Alabama ended the game having earned a 56.3% field goal percentage (40 out of 71) and converted 10 out of their 29 three-point attempts. From the charity stripe, the Crimson Tide knocked down 27 of 34 attempts for a percentage of 79.4%. In terms of pulling down boards, they compiled a total of 40 with 11 of them being offensive. They also recorded 16 assists for the contest in addition to forcing 7 turnovers and earning 5 steals. When it comes to defending, Alabama allowed their opponent to shoot 49.4% from the field on 43 out of 87 shooting. Arkansas distributed 15 dimes and had 6 steals for this game. Additionally, Arkansas pulled down 34 boards (13 offensive, 21 defensive), but wrapped up the game with no rejections. Arkansas finished shooting 84.2% from the free throw line by making 16 of their 19 shots. They buried 13 of 26 attempts from distance. Regarding fouls, the Crimson Tide ended up walking away with 17 and Arkansas finished the game with 26 fouls.

Labaron Philon is someone who was a major factor in this matchup. He ended up finishing with 35 points on 11 of 21 shooting. He saw the court for 41 minutes and also pulled down 2 boards. He finished the contest at 52.4% from the floor and distributed 7 assists.

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Alabama steps onto the court with a win-loss mark of 19-7 on the season. They are turning it over 10.0 times per game and as a team are committing 19.3 fouls every game. As a unit, Alabama is pulling down 41.3 boards per contest and has totaled 433 assists on the year, which ranks 59th in the nation in terms of passing. The Crimson Tide are shooting 35.7% on three-point shots (331 of 926) and 76.2% from the charity stripe. They average 92.7 pts per contest (1st in Division 1) while shooting 46.0% from the field.

On defense, the Crimson Tide have forced 9.2 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 20.2 personal fouls. They are relinquishing 32.4% on shots from beyond the arc and they are 356th in college in points per game allowed (83.9). The Crimson Tide defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 43.1% (773 of 1,795) and they relinquish 40.3 rebounds per game as a team. They currently rank 196th in the nation in giving up assists to their opponents with 360 conceded so far this year.

For their last game, the LSU Tigers went home defeated by a final of 88-85 when they faced Texas. The Tigers earned 18 defensive rebounds and 4 offensive boards totaling 22 in this matchup. They also turned it over 5 times, while recording 7 steals for the contest. Texas was called for 14 personal fouls in this game which got the Tigers to the free throw line for 19 tries. They were able to convert 16 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 84.2%. In the matter of shots from downtown, LSU made 5 out of their 12 tries (41.7%). When the final whistle blew, the Tigers ended up going 32 out of 62 from the field which gave them a percentage of 51.6%. The Tigers allowed Texas to convert 29 of their 52 attempts from the floor which gave them a rate of 55.8% in the game. They went 53.8% from beyond the perimeter by going 7 of 13 and walked away from this one shooting 23 out of 34 at the free throw line (67.6%). Regarding cleaning the glass, LSU allowed Texas to collect 33 in total (8 offensive).

Max Mackinnon pitched in for the Tigers for the game. He converted 11 of 17 in this matchup giving him a rate of 64.7%, and had 2 rebounds. He racked up 27 points in his 33 minutes on the court and accounted for 3 assists for the contest.

LSU has a win-loss mark of 14-12 this season. The Tigers are committing 18.3 personal fouls every game and they connect on 76.5% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 14.5 times per game (148th in college hoops) and they turn the ball over 10.5 times per contest. LSU has 2,103 points this year (80.9 per game) and they collect 36.5 boards per contest. When it comes to offense, the Tigers are connecting on 47.5% from the floor, which ranks them 54th in college hoops.

The LSU defense surrenders 35.8% on 3-pointers (212 of 592) and their opponents are making 67.8% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have surrendered 12.3 assists and 34.0 total boards per game, which is 93rd and 154th in college hoops. The Tigers on defense are ranked 234th in college hoops in points given up per game with 75.8. They are able to force 10.3 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 43.8% from the floor (169th in the nation).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Alabama

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