Check out our free Auburn vs Houston pick and preview for this NCAA Basketball game in Birmingham. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this College Basketball matchup.
Auburn vs Houston Pick & Preview: Saturday, March 18th Betting Odds
Tigers vs Cougars Matchup at a Glance
- Sport: NCAAB
- Teams: Auburn Tigers at Houston Cougars
- Where: Birmingham at Legacy Arena at BJCC
- Date: Saturday, March 18th
- Betting Odds: Auburn +5.5, AUBRN +205 | HOU -255 O/U 132.0
Tigers Preview:
Heading into today’s matchup vs Houston, the Auburn Tigers will be taking the floor for the 33rd time this season and have an overall record of 20-12. So far, the Tigers have played 15 games on the road, with a record of 6-9. For the season, Auburn has been the underdog in 7 games, sitting with a mark of 0-7. Currently, the oddsmakers have the lines set with the Tigers being +5.5 point underdogs.
Auburn will be counting on another strong performance from the team’s leading scorer Wendell Green Jr. who is averaging 13.84 points per game for the Tigers. Jr. is also important to the team’s ability to score on the perimeter. So far, he leads the team in 3-point shots made. Also key to the Tigers’ offensive game plan is the play of Johni Broome who has hit 52.9% of his field goal attempts on his way to averaging 14.0 points per game.
Auburn comes into today’s matchup vs Houston, looking to continue their strong offensive play, as they are averaging 78.7 points per game. Through 32 games, they have hit 44.0% of their field goal attempts. In terms of pace, the Tigers have preferred to slow the game down, ranking 313th in possessions per game.
Cougars Preview:
Houston heads into this matchup having played 34 games and have an overall record sitting at 31-3. Currently, the Cougars have been the home team 21 times, sitting with a record of 18-3. The Cougars’ are sitting with a betting line that is -5.5 points in their favor. For the season, Houston has been favored to win in 35 games, sitting with a mark of 32-3.
Before getting a wager down on this game, keep a close eye on the injury report before tip-off, as the Cougars’ top scorer Marcus Sasser is listed as questionable. In his 33 games, he is averaging 17.06 points per game while providing the team with an outside shooting threat. If he is unable to play, the team will be losing their top outside shooter. Without Marcus Sasser out of the lineup, Jarace Walker is going to need to take on a bigger role. Currently, he is 2nd on the team at 11.06 points per contest to go along with 6.61 rebounds and 1.73 assists.
Houston comes into today’s matchup vs Auburn, looking to continue their strong offensive play, as they are averaging 75.8 points per game. Through 34 games, they have hit 46.9% of their field goal attempts. In terms of pace, the Cougars have preferred to slow the game down, ranking 621st in possessions per game.
Free Spread Prediction: Auburn Tigers +5.5
A key to this matchup, will be 3-point shooting. Coming into the game, both Houston and Auburn are excellent 3-point shooting teams, averaing 8.03 and 8.12 made 3’s per game, respectively. In terms of the odds, we like the Auburn Tigers to cover as +5.5 point dogs. Look for their defense to do a good enough job closing out on the Cougars’ outside shooters to make things difficult for Houston. At +5.5 we like the chances of Auburn covering the spread as underdogs.
