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The Mississippi State Bulldogs (21-12) battle the No. 12 Auburn Tigers (25-7) Saturday in the semifinals of the Southeastern Conference Tournament. Tip from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the Mississippi State vs. Tennessee odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
The 9th-seeded Bulldogs upset top seed Tennessee 73-56 in the quarterfinals Friday, covering as 9.5-point underdogs while the Under (142.5) cashed. Freshman G Josh Hubbard and senior F Cameron Matthews each scored 18 points in the dominant victory.
The Bulldogs have not been to the SEC Tournament title game since 2010.
The 4th-seeded Tigers extended their win streak to 4 games with a dismantling of the No. 5 South Carolina Gamecocks 86-55 Friday in the quarterfinals. They easily covered as 7.5-point favorites, and the Under (144) cashed. First-team All-SEC F Johni Broome had his 12th double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds.
Auburn is looking to win the SEC Tournament title for the 1st time since 2019.
These teams split the season series 1-1, with each side defending its home court. Mississippi State won outright as a 3-point underdog 64-58 Jan. 27, while the Tigers covered as an 11-point favorite with a 78-63 victory March 2. The Under hit in both games.
– Rankings courtesy of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
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Mississippi State vs. Auburn odds
Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:05 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Mississippi State +280 (bet $100 to win $280) | Auburn -360 (bet $360 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Mississippi State +7.5 (-104) | Auburn -7.5 (-118)
- Over/Under (O/U): 143.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Mississippi State vs. Auburn picks and predictions
Prediction
Auburn 73, Mississippi State 68
Moneyline
PASS.
You should avoid betting more than 3.5 units on Auburn (-360) to win back 1; it’s just never a good bet. Look to the spread and/or total instead.
Against the spread
BET AUBURN -7.5 (-118).
I’m probably making a mistake going against the Bulldogs once again, but I feel like they have to run out of gas soon. They have played terrific over their 1st 2 games of the tournament, and the win over Tennessee Friday may have earned them an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.
Auburn made short work of the Gamecocks Friday, getting out to a 20-point lead by halftime. The Tigers had 15 players log minutes in Friday’s game, which gave their starters a chance to be rested for this semifinals matchup.
Auburn has covered 3 of its last 4, while Mississippi State has covered in both of its games in this tournament thus far. This will be the end of the Bulldogs’ run in Nashville.
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Over/Under
PASS.
While these teams are 7-3 to the Over in the last 10 meetings, I don’t have a good feel either way. Auburn and Mississippi State are a combined 0-3 to the Under in the tournament thus far. There is no edge to be had here; I’m going to stay away.
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