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The No. 1 seed Houston Cougars (32-3) will aim to advance to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament when they meet the No. 9 seed Auburn Tigers (21-12) on Saturday at 7:10 PM.
The Cougars square off against the Tigers in a game that Houston is currently a favorite by 5 points. The matchup has a point total of 132.
Houston vs. Auburn Odds
Point Spread for Houston vs. Auburn
The spread for this matchup is set at 5 points, with oddsmakers listing Houston as the favorite.
Houston vs. Auburn Moneyline
As for the moneyline, Houston has -249 odds to pick up the win, while Auburn is listed at +202 to claim victory.
Over/Under
Finally, the over/under for the game is set at 132 points.
Game Time and How to Watch
- Game Day: Saturday, March 18, 2023
- Game Time: 7:10 PM ET
- TV Channel: TBS
- Location: Birmingham, Alabama
- Arena: Legacy Arena at BJCC
Houston vs. Auburn Betting Trends
In Houston’s 35 games this season, it has 18 wins against the spread. The Cougars have been chosen as favorites in 30 games this year and have walked away with the win 27 times (90%) in those games. Houston’s games this year have hit the over 45.5% of the time (15 out of 33 games with a set point total).
Auburn has 16 wins against the spread in 33 games this season. The Tigers have lost all seven of the games they have been listed as the moneyline underdog this season. Auburn’s games this season have gone over the total in 20 of 33 opportunities (60.6%).
Houston vs. Auburn Key Players to Watch
Houston
Marcus Sasser paces the Cougars with 16.7 points per contest and 3.1 assists, while also posting 2.8 rebounds. J’wan Roberts leads his squad in rebounds per game (7.9), and also puts up 10.4 points and 1.2 assists. Defensively, he puts up 0.7 steals and 1.3 blocked shots. Jamal Shead averages a team-best 5.4 assists per contest. He is also averaging 10.4 points and 3 rebounds, shooting 41.4% from the floor and 32.4% from downtown with 1.3 made 3-pointers per contest. Jarace Walker puts up 11.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per contest. At the other end, he delivers 1 steal and 1.1 blocked shots.
Auburn
Johni Broome is averaging team highs in points (14.2 per game) and rebounds (8.5). And he is delivering 1.3 assists, making 52.8% of his shots from the field. Wendell Green Jr. is the Tigers’ top assist man (4.1 per game), and he puts up 13.9 points and 3.3 rebounds. Jaylin Williams gets the Tigers 11.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. He also puts up 1.1 steals and 0.8 blocked shots. Allen Flanigan gives the Tigers 10.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per contest. He also posts 0.8 steals and 0.2 blocked shots.
What you need to know about the Houston Cougars
The Cougars sport a top-25 defense this year, ranking second-best in college basketball with 56.4 points allowed per game. Offensively, they rank 106th with 74.7 points scored per contest. Houston has been shining when it comes to rebounding this year, ranking 13th-best in the country in rebounds per game (36) and 15th-best in rebounds allowed per contest (27.5).
Houston ranks 134th in college basketball with 7.7 treys per game so far this season. Meanwhile, it ranks 173rd with a 34.3% shooting percentage from beyond the arc. The Cougars rank second-best in the country by allowing a three-point shooting percentage of 27.3% to opposing teams. They rank 53rd in college basketball by allowing 6.2 three-pointers per contest.
Over their last 10 contests, the Cougars have two wins against the spread, and are 9-1 overall. In its past 10 games, Houston has gone over the total four times. On offense, Houston has struggled over its last 10 games, scoring 72.4 points per contest over that stretch as opposed to the 74.7 it has racked up over the course of this season. The past 10 games have seen Houston concede 3.3 more points per game (59.7) than its season-long average (56.4).
What you need to know about the Auburn Tigers
The Tigers score 73 points per game and give up 67.3, ranking them 144th in the country offensively and 96th on defense. In 2022-23, Auburn is 106th in the nation in rebounds (32.9 per game) and 234th in rebounds allowed (31.9).
In 2022-23, Auburn is 278th in college basketball in 3-point makes (6.5 per game) and 320th in 3-point percentage (31.5%). The Tigers are the 16th-best squad in the country in 3-pointers allowed (5.6 per game) and fourth-best in 3-point percentage defensively (28.7%).
The Tigers have gone 4-6 over their last 10 contests, with a 4-5-1 record against the spread in that span. Six of Auburn’s last 10 contests have hit the over. Auburn has performed better offensively over its previous 10 games, putting up 75.3 points per contest, 2.3 more than its season average of 73. While the Tigers are giving up 67.3 points per game in 2022-23, they have been worse in their last 10 games, allowing 75.4 points per contest.
Houston vs. Auburn Prediction & Pick
Our prediction to win this contest is Houston, and we expect that Houston will cover the spread (Houston -5). Finally, we see the scoring in this one going over the posted total of 132 points.
How to bet Houston vs. Auburn
You can bet on Houston vs. Auburn at every legal online sportsbook. For more college basketball odds, including moneylines, spreads, over/under totals, check out the latest NCAA lines as well as our guide to the best college basketball betting sites.
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