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The Auburn Tigers (20-12) battle the Iowa Hawkeyes (19-13) Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Tip from Legacy Arena In Birmingham, Ala., is set for 6:50 p.m. ET (TNT). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Auburn vs. Iowa odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
The Tigers are the No. 9 seed in the Midwest Region. Auburn lost its 1st SEC Tournament game to Arkansas 76-73. It lost 3 of its last 4 games, but it does have wins over 7-seed Northwestern and 4-seed Tennessee. The Tigers are led by F Johni Broome, who is averaging 14 points per game.
The Hawkeyes come in as the No. 8 seed. Iowa is led by F Kris Murray, who proved to be one of the best scorers in college hoops, averaging 20.4 points per game. The Hawkeyes lost to Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament 73-69, but it has covered 2 of its last 4 games.
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Auburn vs. Iowa odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 7:56 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Auburn -125 (bet $125 to win $100) | Iowa -105 (bet $105 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Auburn -1.5 (-108) | Iowa +1.5 (-112)
- Over/Under (O/U): 152.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)
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Auburn vs. Iowa picks and predictions
Prediction
Iowa 79, Auburn 75
Moneyline
BET IOWA (-105).
Having an elite scoring option is going to bode well for the Hawkeyes. Murray went for 20 or more points in 3 of Iowa’s last 4 games, and the Tigers’ defense ranks 76 in the nation in opponents’ points per game (67.1).
Iowa has a strong defense, but Auburn’s offense could create issues. It ranks 224th in effective field goal percentage (49.6%). While defense matters, scoring is how you win tournament games, and Murray can provide that.
Back IOWA (-105).
Against the spread
PASS.
I’ll take Iowa to win outright here and take the near-plus-money odds on the moneyline.
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Over/Under
LEAN OVER 152.5 (-108).
While Iowa has an explosive offense, most of its scoring isn’t done from deep — ranking 202nd in percentage of points from deep. It will be able to get in the inside and score like it has done most of the season.
Auburn has gone Over in 4 of its last 5 games and in 3 straight. Iowa has also gone Over in 3 of its last 4 and has scored at least 77 points in 3 of its last 4 as well. Considering the styles of play, back the OVER 152.5 (-108).
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