The sixth-seeded BYU Cougars will look to continue their march toward their first-ever Final Four appearance when they battle the second-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide in their East Region Sweet 16 matchup in the 2025 NCAA Tournament on Thursday.

BYU held off third-seeded Wisconsin 91-89 on Saturday, while Alabama defeated seventh-seeded Saint Mary’s 80-66 on Sunday. The Cougars (26-9), who are 17-31 in 32 NCAA Tournament appearances, last advanced past the first round in 2012. The Crimson Tide (27-8), who are 31-25 in 26 tournament appearances, reached the Final Four for the first time in program history last year.

Tipoff from Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., is set for 7:09 p.m. ET. Alabama holds a 2-0 edge in the all-time series, with the Crimson Tide earning a 71-59 win in their last meeting in 2018. Alabama is a 5.5-point favorite in the latest Alabama vs. BYU odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 175.5.

Before making any BYU vs. Alabama picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the Sweet 16 round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament on a 228-168 roll (+1815) on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to 2023.