The No. 8 seed Texas A&M Aggies (21-11) will battle the top-seeded Auburn Tigers (27-4) Friday in an SEC Tournament quarterfinal. Tip from Amalie Arena in Tampa is scheduled for noon ET (ESPN). Below, we look at the Texas A&M vs. Auburn odds and lines, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Texas A&M, which was 9-9 in the SEC and had a first-round bye, beat the ninth-seeded Florida Gators 83-80 in overtime Thursday in the second round. The Aggies covered the spread as 3-point underdogs, improving to 18-13 against the spread (ATS) overall.
They have covered 5 straight and 6 of their last 7, and are 12-7 ATS in SEC games.
Auburn, which went 15-3 in conference play to win the regular-season crown, is 10-7-1 ATS against SEC opponents. Overall, the Tigers are 19-12 ATS but were just 2-7 ATS over their last 9 outings.
Auburn is ranked No. 4 in the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports. The Tigers are led by projected top-5 NBA Draft pick F Jabari Smith, who is averaging 17.1 points per game.
Texas A&M vs. Auburn odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:08 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Texas A&M +360 (bet $100 to win $360) | Auburn -500 (bet $500 to win $100)
- Against the spread: Texas A&M +9.5 (-120) | Auburn -9.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 140.5 (O: -107 | U: -115)
[tipico]
Texas A&M vs. Auburn odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Auburn 74, Texas A&M 68
Money line
PASS.
I’ll do without predicting that No. 8 upsets the No. 1, but at the same time, there’s no chance one should consider betting Auburn’s -500 money line in March. Look to the points for value.
Against the spread
LEAN to TEXAS A&M +9.5 (-120).
These two SEC teams only met once this season with the Tigers rolling to a 75-58 victory and covering as 12.5-point home favorites Feb. 12. The Tigers held the Aggies to just 19-for-70 (27.1%) shooting.
While Auburn ranks seventh in the nation in opponents’ shooting percentage (38.3%), it allows the 13th-most offensive rebounds per game in the conference. That’s where A&M can keep this game close.
Auburn is 11-4 away from home and 16-0 at home. It has clearly struggled to keep the same dominance when not at Neville Arena.
Given the Tigers’ issues on the offensive glass and their recent inability to cover mixed in with the Aggies’ ability to cover conference games, I prefer playing the underdogs with the points.
Over/Under
BET OVER 140.5 (-107).
If there’s one thing that both teams have been good at this season, it’s hitting the Overs.
The Aggies are 21-10 O/U, while the Tigers are 18-13 O/U. They’re a combined 7-2 O/U on a neutral site. In SEC play, the Aggies are a conference-best 13-6 O/U and the Tigers are 11-7 O/U.
Both the Tigers’ Smith and Aggies’ G Quenton Jackson (14.5 PPG) rank in the top 10 in the SEC in points per game at fifth and 10th, respectively.
The star power should be on display, and from what we’ve seen from each team this season, the Over feels like the best play this game has to offer.
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