Mark Few’s Gonzaga Bulldogs are off to an impressive 5-0 start this season, skyrocketing them to No. 13 in the country ahead of Monday’s matchup with No. 11 Alabama in the Player Era Festival.

These teams have had slightly different schedules to start the season, as the Crimson Tide have played three top-10 opponents in St. John’s, Purdue and Illinois to open the 2025-26 campaign. The Crimson Tide are 3-1, losing only to Purdue by seven points.

So, it’s not a shock that the Crimson Tide are favored in this matchup, even though Gonzaga has impressive wins over Oklahoma, Creighton and Arizona State to start the season.

KenPom currently has the Bulldogs as the No. 3 team in the country based on their adjusted efficiency margin, but can they hold up against an Alabama team that is expected to be in the mix for the top spot in the SEC once again?

Here’s a look at the odds, a key player to watch in this top-25 clash and my prediction for Monday’s matchup. 

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

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Labaron Philon Jr., Guard, Alabama

After starting 29 of the 37 games that he appeared in as a freshman, Philon has taken on an even bigger role for the Crimson Tide in his sophomore campaign.

He leads the team in scoring (20.5 points per game) and assists (5.8 assists per game) through four contests. He’s stepped up in a big way in Bama’s three games against ranked opponents, scoring 25 points against St. John’s, 11 against Purdue and 24 against Illinois. While he didn’t score the ball as well against the Boilermakers, he did dish out seven dimes and grab four boards in that matchup.

The Crimson Tide are a dangerous team to beat if Philon gets it going scoring the ball, and he’s shot an efficient 53.2 percent from the field and 38.1 percent from 3 this season.

He’s arguably the best player that Gonzaga will have seen this season, and it’ll be interesting to see how Mark Few’s squad defends him on Monday. 

Gonzaga may be undefeated coming into this game, but there isn’t a team in the country as battle-tested as the Crimson Tide.

Alabama has not only played the fifth-toughest strength of schedule in the country (per KenPom), but it’s also played the hardest schedule of any ranked team.

Despite that, Bama is still 3-1 and ranks eighth in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency and 36th in adjusted defensive efficiency. 

Now, Gonzaga has faced some formidable teams as well – and blew out a then-No. 23 Creighton team earlier in the month – but this is a step up in class for the Bulldogs. Gonzaga is just 154th in the country in strength of schedule early on this season, and its win over Oklahoma doesn’t look as good with the team losing to Nebraska as well this season. 

Few has shown that his program can compete with the top teams in the country year in and year out, but I think Alabama is undervalued so far this season given how hard of a schedule it has played. 

I’ll lay the points with the Crimson Tide on Monday night. 

Pick: Alabama -3.5 (-110 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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