Auburn faces rival Alabama in the SEC tournament on Friday at 1 p.m. ET. The Tigers are favored by 5.5 points in this neutral site game, but before you make any kind of pick, you should see what side Matt Norlander is taking.

Norlander is a writer for CBS Sports who has covered college basketball since 2007. From award-winning features to weekly game analysis, Norlander analyzes the sport from every angle. Every October he provides the Internet's most thorough rankings of all 351 college basketball teams.

Now, he takes aim at this SEC quarterfinal and has a pick against the spread that's available only at SportsLine.

When it comes to college basketball picks, Norlander has his finger on the Tide. This is the third time he's picked a game involving Alabama this season, and he's a perfect 2-0 so far. He went with the Tide (+1.5) on Feb. 10 in a 78-50 blowout win over Tennessee and again on Jan. 17 as Alabama (+1.5) bested Auburn 76-71. But that doesn't mean he's taking the Tide once more.  

Norlander knows Auburn earned a share of its third SEC regular season title ever, but has never won the SEC tournament. The Tigers handled the Tide in each regular-season meeting, 90-71 at home and 76-71 in Tuscaloosa.

The Tide have motivation and momentum. Alabama needed a win Thursday against Texas A&M to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive, and Collin Sexton's finger-roll as time expired gave the Tide a dramatic 72-71 victory. Sexton had 27 points and five assists.

A win on Friday should secure an at-large bid, but can Alabama use that momentum to stun Auburn? Or will the Tigers show why they're the top seed and cruise into the semifinals in a cover? Visit SportsLine now to see the point spread pick for Alabama vs. Auburn, all from the college basketball insider who has covered the sport from every angle.