Who's Playing

Alabama (home) vs. Iowa State (away)

Current Records: Alabama 2-3; Iowa State 3-2

What to Know

The Iowa State Cyclones will take on the Alabama Crimson Tide at 6:30 p.m. ET on Thursday at Imperial Arena at Atlantis Resort.

It looks like Iowa State got the smaller half of the wishbone at Thanksgiving dinner. In a sloppy game that saw the teams combine for 31 turnovers, the Michigan Wolverines took down the Cyclones 83-76. A silver lining for Iowa State was the play of G Tyrese Haliburton, who had 25 points and five assists along with nine rebounds. This makes it three games in a row in which Haliburton has had at least three steals.

As for Bama, it looks like Bama got the smaller half of the wishbone at Thanksgiving dinner. They also played a game with a lot of turnovers (34) and lost 76-67 to the North Carolina Tar Heels. F Alex Reese had a pretty forgettable game: he played for 27 minutes but picked up just seven points on 3-for-10 shooting.

Barring any buzzer beaters, Iowa State are expected to win a tight contest. They have been consistent moneymakers against the spread when favored (3-0), so they might be worth a quick bet.

With both teams hitting sour notes in their previous games, they will no doubt be looking to produce a better outcome in this one. We'll see which team satisfies their hunger and which team leaves with an empty stomach.

How To Watch

  • When: Thursday at 6:30 p.m. ET
  • Where: Imperial Arena at Atlantis Resort -- Nassau, Bahamas
  • TV: ESPN2
  • Follow: CBS Sports App

Odds

The Cyclones are a slight 2-point favorite against the Crimson Tide.

Vegas was right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 2-point spread, and stayed right there.

Over/Under: 150

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Series History

This is the first time these teams have played each other within the last four years.