Auburn vs. Iowa Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
It’s the tightest matchup possible in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as the No. 8 Iowa Hawkeyes prepare to face the No. 9 Auburn Tigers on Friday night in Birmingham, Alabama.
Auburn opened as a slim 1-point favourite to win on the college basketball odds.
Auburn vs. Iowa NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
Barring a monumental upset by No. 16 seed Northern Kentucky in the first round, the winner of Auburn versus Iowa will face No. 1 seed Houston next.
This will be the Tigers’ 12th tournament appearance. They have an 18-11 record overall, making it as far as the Final Four in 2019 before losing to eventual tournament winner Virginia. Auburn was a No. 2 seed in last year’s tournament, but they were upset by No. 10 Miami in the second round. Auburn is 5-1 against the spread in their last six NCAA Tournament games.
Iowa has a combined record of 31-30 in 28 previous tournament appearances. They finished as tournament runner-ups in 1956, but haven’t made it past the Round of 32 since 1999. Last year as a No. 5 seed, the Hawkeyes fell to No. 12 Richmond in the first round. Iowa is just 3-10 ATS in their last 13 NCAA Tournament games.
No. 9 seeds hold a 76-72 edge over No. 8 seeds in NCAA Tournament history. Last year, No. 9 seeds went 3-1 in the tournament. The only No. 8 seed to win, North Carolina, fell to Kansas in the national championship game.
Auburn Tigers (9)
Auburn (20-12) finished seventh in the SEC this season and dropped three of their last four games heading into the NCAA Tournament. They had an underwhelming showing in the SEC Tournament, falling to Arkansas 76-73 in the second round. The Tigers are an aggressive defensive team, holding opponents to 67.1 points per game this season. They’re also defending at a rate that has seen opponents shoot a dismal 28.8 per cent from three-point range.
Transfer forward Johni Broome has been one of the few bright spots offensively. The sophomore is averaging team-highs in points per game (14.0) and rebounds (8.4). Another plus for Auburn is the location of this game. Alabama will be a much more pro-Tigers crowd, which could be a factor in a matchup as tight as this.
Iowa Hawkeyes (8)
Iowa (19-13) also finished second in their conference, the Big Ten. They’ve dropped four of their last six games, including a 73-69 loss against Ohio State in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament. The Hawkeyes are a strong offensive team. They have five players averaging at least 10 points per game, led by Kris Murray’s 20.4 ppg. The team ranks 18th in the nation in points per game average.
This will be a big test for Iowa. Despite boasting one of the best offences in the nation, the Hawkeyes aren’t a top level three-point shooting team and they’ll be going up against Auburn’s very strong perimeter defence. The frontcourt battle will be key for Iowa as they’ll have to capitalize on their chances inside the arc.
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