Alabama football scored its biggest class of 2026 recruiting win last week, when Jorden Edmonds committed to UA. Edmonds is a five-star cornerback in the upcoming class, and chose the Tide over the likes of Tennessee and Georgia, with Maurice Linguist as his primary recruiter for Alabama.

Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer was asked about Linguist’s recruiting prowess on Wednesday.

“He’s phenomenal,” DeBoer said. “He’s just a guy in the building, first of all, that brings just good juice and energy, and he’s a pleasure to be around. If you’re the head coach, a staff member, and then that is certainly seen by our players and felt by our players.

“And then in the recruiting process, I just think he’s attractive for a parent, for their son to want to come here and be coached, because they’re cared for, they’re loved, they’re taught at an extremely high level. He does just such a great job in all those ways.”

Alabama recently rewarded Linguist with a two-year contract extension and a raise. He joined the Crimson Tide when DeBoer was building a staff last year, leaving a head coach job at Buffalo.

Linguist took over a cornerbacks group that had been decimated by the NFL Draft and transfer portal, losing Kool-Aid McKinstry, Terrion Arnold and Trey Amos among others.

DeBoer mentioned how well he felt Linguist dealt with the 2025 Crimson Tide.

“We really had only one, if I remember right, one scholarship corner a year ago returning from the season before, and played a lot of young guys, new guys,” DeBoer said. “Domani (Jackson) wasn’t necessarily a freshman, but new guys to the program, and so developed confidence. Now that room, all of a sudden, has got a high ceiling, but we’ve created a lot of depth there.”

The young group at defensive back is a year older, with players like Bray Hubbard, Zabien Brown, Zay Mincey and Red Morgan set to take another step forward. Keon Sabb is back, along with Jackson, and Linguist has another talented group of freshmen to work with, including Dijon Lee and Chuck McDonald.

The 2026 recruiting class already included Gadsden City’s Zyan Gibson at corner, meaning Linguist is responsible for picking up the class’ top two prospects so far.

“Tt’s personality mixed with ability and the want to,” DeBoer said of what makes Linguist successful. “He’s a guy with a lot of drive, and he’s got a high expectation, so he gets after them. But it’s some tough love that he brings, and they appreciate that, because they want the same thing as he does, it’s to be their best.”

Alabama continues spring practice through April 12’s A-Day at Bryant-Denny Stadium. A-Day will not be a game this year, and won’t be televised, though admission is free.

The 2025 men’s NCAA Tournament is playing out to form with seven of the top-8 seeds advancing from the Sweet Sixteen to the Elite Eight this weekend. That includes all four No. 1 seeds with Auburn, Florida, Duke and Houston shooting to make the Final Four next weekend in San Antonio.

Elite Eight Matchups, Odds And TV Schedule

The Southeastern Conference sent a record 14 SEC teams to the 2025 NCAA Tournament, and all four SEC teams in the Elite Eight have a chance to make the Final Four – No. 1 seeds Auburn Tigers and Florida Gators and No. 2 seeds Alabama Crimson Tide and Tennessee Volunteers.

While online betting is regulated in nearly 40 states with easy access also available for mobile betting, the three most populous states in the U.S. do not offer betting at U.S. Sportsbooks—California, Texas and Florida. These are also states where some of college basketball’s top teams play, like Florida, Houston and Texas Tech of the remaining Elite Eight teams. Also, regulated, legal sports betting is not available in Alabama, where the Crimson Tide and Auburn Tigers entertain and engage fans but not for regulated sports betting.

Panama-based BetOnline has been a market leader for more than 30 years providing more betting options, contests and NCAA bracket pools for fans.

Updated Men’s College Basketball NCAA Tournament Bracket And Scores

BetOnline and leading online sportsbooks provide college basketball betting odds for the most watched and wagered college basketball games including the Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight and Final Four. Odds and futures refresh periodically and are subject to change, including on props and live betting. Favorites (-) listed, all times Eastern.

Sat., March 29

East – Prudential Center (Newark, NJ)

No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 1 Duke (-7) | Total 174.5 | 8:49 p.m. | TBS/truTV

Pick: Alabama

West – Chase Center (San Francisco, CA)

No. 3 Texas Tech vs. No. 1 Florida (-6.5) | Total 157 | 6:09 p.m. | TBS/truTV

Sun., March 30

South – State Farm Arena (Atlanta, GA)

No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 1 Auburn (-5) | Total 149 | 5:05 p.m. | CBS

Midwest – Lucas Oil Stadium, (Indianapolis, IN)

No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 1 Houston (-3.5) | Total 124 | 1:20 p.m. | CBS

Pick: Tennessee

The four No. 1 seeds profiles are included below following their Sweet Sixteen wins. The favorites are rewarding bettors and especially moneyline bets as more moneyline parlays cashed in during Sweet 16 games. While no perfect brackets remain across the country in online March Madness pools, many are doing well with all four No. 1 seeds still alive into the Elite Eight along with three No. 2 seeds and one No. 3 seed.

Alabama’s 113 points in their Sweet 16 victory was the most points ever scored by a team in a NCAA Tournament game. The Crimson Tide also set records with 25 made 3-pointers and 51 three-point attempts.

• Alabama 113, BYU 88
• Duke 100, Arizona 93
• Florida 87, Maryland 71
• Texas Tech 85, Arkansas 83 OT
• Michigan State 73, Ole Miss 70
• Auburn 78, Michigan 65
• Houston 62, Purdue 60
• Tennessee 78, Kentucky 65

Betting favorites went 8-0 straight up in the Sweet Sixteen, and 4-4 against the spread (ATS) after Mississippi player hit a 3-point shot at the final buzzer to cover the closing spread (+3.5) in a 73-70 loss to Michigan State, who opened a -2.5 point favorite and took more money.

No. 1 Seeds To The Final Four And National Champions

Since the First Round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, favorites are 44-12 SU and 30-26 ATS. The over/under game totals are 24-31-1 with Friday night Sweet 16 games going 4-0 to the under.

Since the men’s NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985, there have been 62 No. 1 seeds make the Final Four. Of those, 39 made the championship game and 25 have become national champions, including 13 of the past 17 title winners.

Only once in NCAA Tournament history have all four No. 1 seeds made the Final Four, and it happened in 2008.

Auburn Tigers

Most experts believed No. 1 overall seed Auburn had the “easiest” path to the national semifinals. KenPom ratings and research notes that a top-2 NCAA Tournament seed has never made a Final Four if they began the year outside the preseason AP Top 25 like Michigan State. Auburn held the No. 1 spot in the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball poll for eight consecutive weeks before Duke took over the top spot on March 10. The Tigers were 25-2 with 14 Quad 1 wins in late February, including a road win over No. 2 Alabama.

Auburn ranks No. 3 in adjusted offensive efficiency despite No. 29 in effective FG percentage shooting (55.2%). Auburn’s adjusted defensive efficiency and effective field goal percentage are both top-15, with elite 3-point defense (29.6%) and block percentage. Auburn made their first and only Final Four appearance in 2019, but the Tigers have never made it to a national championship game. Auburn’s Elite Eight opponent Michigan State is has made the Final Four ten times with their last appearance in 2019. The Spartans won the national championship in 2000 under current head coach Tom Izzo – the last Big Ten team to win the NCAA Tournament with Purdue playing in the national title game last year.

Florida Gators

Florida is 15-1 since a blowout loss at Tennessee Feb. 1. The Gators rolled through the SEC tournament as champions and were on a 6-0 ATS run until failing to cover their first two NCAA Tournament games but rebounding with a double-digit win over Maryland.

The Gators are the nation’s No. 2 efficiency offense with an elite offensive rebounding team. Florida is also a top defensive team, and up to No. 9 in adjusted efficiency and top-5 in effective field goal defense (45.4%) and 3-point defense (29.3%). The Gators made the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017 and are now 1-game from a Final Four, which they last made in 2014. The Gators won back-to-back national championships in 2006 and 2007. Florida’s Elite Eight opponent Texas Tech made their only Final Four appearance in 2019 and lost to Virginia in overtime in the national championship game.

Duke Blue Devils

Duke has won 14 in a row and 30 of its last 31 games, scoring 93, 89 and 100 points in three NCAA Tournament games to move back to No. 1 in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency ratings. The Blue Devils sport a 58.2% effective field goal percentage to rank No. 3 in the country. Duke is also the only team to rank top-5 in offensive and defensive efficiency ratings with their 44.4% effective field goal defense No. 1 in the country. The Blue Devils program has made the Final Four 17 times most recently in 2022 with their last national championship victory in 2015. Duke’s Elite Eight opponent Alabama reached its first-ever Final Four last year losing to eventual national champion Connecticut.

Houston Cougars

Houston has the country’s best defense, trapping and forcing turnovers while allowing just 58.4 points per game in winning the Big 12 regular season and conference tournament title. Houston’s 38.4% field goal defense tops college basketball along with Tennessee (38.5%) and Duke (38.5%). The Cougars rank No. 1 in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency defense, and their offense is No. 12 with strong offensive rebounding and the No. 1 team in 3-point shooting (39.8%). Houston also plays at the slowest pace of the remaining tournament teams on offense while forcing the longest possession on defense. Houston has made 8-straight Sweet 16’s and six Final Four’s with their last in 2019. The Cougars have never won the national championship, but were runner-up in 1983 and 1984. Houston’s Elite Eight opponent Tennessee is shooting to make their first-ever Final Four, and making their second-straight Elite Eight appearance and third overall.

As noted previously in March Madness coverage, 21 of the last 22 National Champions have finished in the Top 20 in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency ratings by KenPom’s advanced metrics. Five remaining teams fit the profile.

• Duke (1 offense, 5 defense)
• Florida (2,9)
• Auburn (3,8)
• Houston (12,1)
• Tennessee (17,3)

KenPom offensive and defensive efficiency rankings for the remaining teams include Alabama (4,28), Michigan State (23,4) and Texas Tech (5,39).

Elite Eight Betting Trends And Notes

Courtesy of Playbook Sports newsletter and research.

• No. 1 Seeds are 9-3 ATS the last 8 years.
• No. 3 seeds are 4-16 ATS the last 17 years.
• Underdogs off an ATS loss in the Sweet 16 are 1-4 ATS the last 11 years (Texas Tech, Michigan State).

Follow along for more March Madness betting coverage into the Elite Eight this weekend as the top teams shoot for the Final Four at the Alamodome in San Antonio.

You can bet on it.

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