The Albany Great Danes take on the Yale Bulldogs in Springfield, MA, as part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. Tip-off is set for 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
Yale is favored by -17.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -3500. The total is set at 149.5 points.
Here's my Albany vs. Yale prediction and college basketball picks for December 10, 2025.
Albany vs Yale Prediction
My Pick: Yale -19.5 or Better
My Albany vs Yale best bet is on the Bulldogs to cover. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Albany vs. Yale Odds
| Albany Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+17.5 -102 | 149.5 -115 / -105 | +1280 |
| Yale Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-17.5 -120 | 149.5 -115 / -105 | -3500 |
- Albany vs Yale spread: Yale -17.5
- Albany vs Yale over/under: 149.5 points
- Albany vs Yale moneyline: Albany +1280, Yale -3500
Albany vs Yale College Basketball Betting Preview
Albany Basketball
Albany is no stranger to getting its doors blown off — it lost five of its first 10 games by 19-plus points, including a 28-point drubbing by Columbia last week.
The Great Danes' offense has been a total disaster this year, ranking 292nd nationally in offensive efficiency.
The larger issue stems from shooting, as they rank second-to-last nationally in 3-point percentage (24%). Unfortunately, Albany is either deluded into believing its fortune will change or has such a flawed offensive DNA that it still attempts 3s at a 40% rate.
I'm sure there's some correlation between Albany losing games by huge margins and resorting to launching 3s, but that isn't working either.
The offense does have a stud guard in Amir Lindsey. He leads Albany with 14.7 points and 4.1 assists per game while shooting 43% from the field. He's the lone bright spot for the Danes.
Albany is bad offensively, but it's somehow even worse defensively.
The Great Danes rank 335th nationally in defensive efficiency. They have three major weaknesses that Yale will attack. The biggest is interior scoring, as Albany allows opponents to shoot 58% from 2-point range. It also gives up offensive rebounds on 39.8% of opponent misses.
Even on the few missed shots it forces, Albany rarely finishes the possession with a rebound.
Lastly, Albany ranks 288th nationally in free-throw rate allowed — as we know, Yale will gladly get to the line and convert with ease.
Yale Basketball
Yale is perennially one of the best mid-major squads in America, and that remains the case this year.
The Bulldogs are 10-1, with their lone loss coming at home to Rhode Island — a shocking result, in a sense.
Yale is one of three non-power conference teams that rank in the top 20 nationally in KenPom's offensive efficiency (Akron, Colorado State).
The Bulldogs' offense excels at shooting the 3, connecting on 42% of their attempts. They also shoot 81% from the free-throw line.
There might not be a more overused term in basketball than “point forward," but Yale truly has the consummate version in senior Nick Townsend.
The 6-foot-7 forward leads Yale with 17.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game while shooting 53% from downtown. He gives Yale the ability to work inside and out, and he's a strong playmaker at the top of the key.
Townsend's passing leads to clean looks for shooters. Four of the main benefactors of his playmaking are Jordan Brathwaite (57%), Riley Fox (42%) and Trevor Mullin (38.6%), who all hovering around 40% from distance.
Another key element of Yale's offense is its commitment to crashing the offensive glass. Four of the five Bulldogs starters are 6-foot-6 or taller, which helps generate extra possessions.
Sophomore forward Isaac Celiscar is vital on the boards, securing 4.7 rebounds per game while upping his scoring average to 13.8 points a night.
The Bulldogs aren't looking to push the pace — Yale ranks 315th nationally in adjusted tempo — but they're elite at limiting turnovers (13% turnover rate) and consistently generating quality looks, resulting in a 58.8% effective field goal percentage.
Coach James Jones surely misses former defensive stalwart Bez Mbeng.
With the star guard gone, Yale has slipped from ranking 115th nationally in defensive efficiency to 208th. Opponents are shooting 52% inside the arc against the Bulldogs.
The main issue is speedy guards finding clean scoring lanes against Yale's weaker guard defenders. Mullin is a fine player, but he's nowhere near Mbeng's defensive caliber.
Albany vs. Yale Betting Analysis
At any number below 20, I'm rolling with Yale.
Albany gets blown out like it's nothing against worse teams than Yale.
Unless the Bulldogs simply don't show up to play, I don't see this being a competitive game.
The Bulldogs' bigs should dominate on the glass, and Townsend will drag the plodding Albany bigs out and force them to defend in space.
This game has blowout written all over it.
My Pick: Yale -19.5 or Better
