Texas vs Alabama best bet: Texas team total Over 83.5 (-120) This is the typical Alabama Crimson Tide team that we've gotten used to in the Nate Oats era. They play at a blazing-fast pace and rely on their offense to carry them, with defense an afterthought. We saw that in their most recent game when they lost 96-90 to Vanderbilt.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/alabama as Live Updates for Alabama Basketball's Top-15 Road Matchup Against Vanderbilt. No. 13 Alabama will play its 15th game of the regular season, and the second of SEC play, on Wednesday, Jan. 7, on the road against No. 11 Vanderbilt.

A pair of top-25 SEC teams meet on Wednesday night, as No. 11 Vanderbilt (14-0) hosts No. 13 Alabama (11-3) at Memorial Gym in Nashville. The Crimson Tide has won four straight games, including a 15-point victory over Kentucky back last Saturday.

Alabama basketball has played the long game with 5-star Caleb Holt. What the Tide has done to separate itself, plus a decision timeline update.

St. John’s center Zuby Ejiofor turned in a herculean effort Saturday. He scored 33 points, grabbed 15 rebounds (11 offensive) and went to the free throw line 23 times — the most attempts by a player in a Big East game in nearly seven years.

Bethea is averaging 9.7 points per game through six games. During contests in which he plays more than 10 minutes, that average bumps up to 13 points. The sophomore has also shown an ability to rebound the basketball, collecting three or more boards in each of his past three outings and recording six of them in the UTSA game.

SportsLine's model has revealed its Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Kentucky Wildcats college basketball picks for Saturday, Jan. 3

Iowa State beat Baylor to improve to 15-0. The Cyclones have No. 17 Kansas on the schedule in mid-January, but before then it faces Oklahoma State, so the road to the Jayhawks isn't easy, either.

Get the best Alabama vs. Vanderbilt predictions ahead of Wednesday's matchup in Nashville. Free college basketball picks for January 7.

The No. 16 Illinois Fighting Illini and the No. 19 Iowa Hawkeyes meet Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. Tip-off is set for noon ET.