Alabama vs. Tennessee Sharp Betting Pick (March 12): Pros Hitting Short SEC Spread

Following yesterday's SEC Tournament First Round games, Florida and South Carolina now have their Thursday opponents set for today's second round (Georgia and Arkansas, respectively).

As the No. 8 and 9 seeds, though, Tennessee and Alabama didn't need to wait for any results yesterday to know they'd be going head-to-head this afternoon (1 p.m. ET).

Bettors, similarly, didn't have to wait until last night to start making moves on this game. And they have been — including plenty of action from sharps on the small spread.

Odds as of Thursday at 10 a.m. ET and via FanDuel. Get up to a $500 risk-free bet at FanDuel today or see more offers and reviews for the best online sportsbooks.

Alabama vs. Tennessee Sharp Betting Pick

For a short period of time, that small spread was actually a non-existent spread, as these two teams were pegged at a pick'em. Prior to that, however, the early openers had Tennessee listed as a 1-point favorite.

And now, it's the Tide who are favored by a point and a half.

It's not like the public is all over lower-seeded Alabama, though. Only 40% of bets have landed on Bama, which means there's a pretty good chance that the movement in that direction has come from sharps.

Sure enough, Sports Insights' Bet Signals have tracked six instances of smart money hitting Alabama (at lines of +1 or a pick'em) to just one on Tennessee. The 40% of Bama bettors have also generated 48% of actual money landing on the spread — another sign of sharp action, as sharps are more likely to be the ones making bigger bets.

With their more respected customers going with the 9-over-8 "upset," oddsmakers have had no choice but to flip the minus sign over to the other side.

Sharp angle: Alabama (moved from +1 to -1.5) [Bet now at FanDuel. NJ, PA, IN and WV only.]