Auburn vs Indiana Odds, Pick
| Auburn Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-7.5 -105 | 146.5 -105o / -115u | +230 |
| Indiana Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+7.5 -115 | 146.5 -105o / -115u | -300 |
Auburn and Indiana will meet on Saturday at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. This is a bounce-back spot for the Tigers, who were extremely disappointing in their last appearance against Appalachian State. Indiana, on the other hand, has strung together four consecutive wins and has won seven of its first eight games.
These two teams are similar in a variety of ways — both teams play fast and struggle from 3-point range. Indiana makes just 25% from deep, and Auburn is not much better, making just 29% of its shots from outside. Both teams rely on key freshmen who haven't always played up to their ceilings.
Auburn needs a win badly here, and Indiana would make a statement by earning its fifth consecutive win.
Auburn Tigers
For Auburn, it starts on the defensive side of the ball. The Tigers rank 15th in the country in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency. They're equally tough on opponents both inside and outside. They have the 19th-best 3-point percentage defense in the country and the 17th-best 2-point percentage defense.
They block 15% of their opponents' shots, and Johni Broome is the key piece down low. Broome has scored in double figures in every game for Auburn this season and is averaging 25.5 points over his last two games.
Broome will need to be up for the challenge against the Indiana frontcourt. The Hoosiers are extremely limited at the guard positions, but they have four different bigs that can cycle through playing big minutes.
Indiana Hoosiers
Indiana's strength starts down low, as mentioned above.
Kel'el Ware, who transferred over from Oregon, has been Mike Woodson's best player. He finally has turned his talent into production, and he's scored in double figures in all eight games of the season thus far.
Malik Reneau has been a nice compliment as well.
Not many frontcourts in college basketball have the size or depth to match up with the combination of Ware and Reneau. Reneau has slotted in nicely with Ware, upping his assist rate from 9.5% to 21.8% by finding Ware for rim-running lobs.
The questions for Indiana remain at the guard positions, where Xavier Johnson — the only true point guard on the team — has missed the last two games due to injury. Without Johnson, Indiana really struggles to score from the perimeter.
It'll be a tough ask for the Hoosiers' guards to hang in a game with the speed and talent of the Auburn backcourt.
Auburn vs. Indiana
Betting Pick & Prediction
While this game will be played on a neutral court in Georgia, that is still SEC country, and Auburn should have a favorable home crowd.
The Auburn defense is the best unit on either team, and with Indiana's injury concerns, it's hard to see its guards playing well enough to keep up.
Broome will need to be at his best, but if he plays to his ceiling, Auburn is the right side here in a bounce-back spot.
Pick: Auburn -6
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