Auburn Tigers vs Houston Cougars Prediction, 3/18/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Auburn Tigers vs Houston Cougars

Date: Saturday, March 18, 2023

Location: Legacy Arena at BJCC in Birmingham, AL

TV: TBS

Odds/Point Spread: Auburn (+8)

Legacy Arena at BJCC is the location where the Houston Cougars (32-3) will play the Auburn Tigers (21-12) on Saturday. Houston opens as 8-point favorites. The over/under comes in at 133.5.

The Auburn Tigers played Iowa and took home the win by a score of 83-75 in their last contest. Auburn ended with a 46.0% FG percentage (29 out of 63) and made 8 of their 22 shots from 3-point land. At the free throw line, the Tigers knocked down 17 of their 22 attempts for a rate of 77.3%. Pertaining to grabbing rebounds, they earned 35 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 14 dimes in this game while forcing 8 turnovers and getting 6 steals. In relation to defending, Auburn allowed 41.2% from the floor on 28 out of 68 shooting. Iowa dished out 11 assists and had 4 steals in this contest. Moreover, Iowa had 37 boards (12 offensive, 25 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Iowa finished the game at 70.6% from the free throw line by burying 12 of their 17 tries. They converted 7 out of their 27 attempts from beyond the arc. Concerning fouls, the Tigers ended up finishing with 18 and Iowa accumulated 18 fouls.

Johni Broome is a guy who was a major contributor in the matchup. He left the arena with 19 points on 7 out of 14 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 31 mins and totaled 12 rebounds. He finished the contest at 50.0% from the field and recorded 1 assist.

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Auburn comes into this game with a mark of 21-12 this season. They are losing possession via turnover 12.3 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 19.2 fouls every game. As a unit, Auburn is snagging 36.3 rebounds per contest and has totaled 468 dimes so far this season, which is 89th in D-1 in terms of passing. The Tigers are shooting 31.5% on shots from distance (216 of 685) and 70.5% from the free throw line. They average 73.0 points per outing (146th in college hoops) while going 44.1% from the floor.

When they are on defense, the Tigers are able to force 13.2 turnovers every game and they draw 17.7 fouls. They are giving up 28.7% on three-point shots and they are 99th in Division 1 in points per game allowed (67.3). The Tigers defensively are allowing and opponent field goal percentage of 40.7% (763 of 1,875) and they surrender 35.3 rebounds per game as a unit. They currently rank 73rd in college hoops in giving up assists to the opposition with 369 conceded this year.

For their last game, the Houston Cougars walked away with a victory by a final of 63-52 against Northern Kentucky. The Cougars recorded 28 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 37 in this game. They gave up possession 14 times, while earning 3 steals in the matchup. Northern Kentucky was called for 12 fouls for this game which took the Cougars to the charity stripe for a total of 10 attempts. They were able to knock down 9 of them for a percentage of 90.0%. When it comes to shooting from beyond the arc, Houston buried 4 of their 16 attempts (25.0%). In all, the Cougars finished the game shooting 25 for 51 from the field which had them shooting 49.0%. The Cougars allowed Northern Kentucky to convert 19 of 69 tries from the floor which had them shooting 27.5% for the game. They finished 15.2% from distance by going 5 out of 33 and finished the game at 9 out of 10 from the free throw line (90.0%). When discussing team rebounding, Houston allowed Northern Kentucky to grab 31 in total (17 on the offensive glass).

Jarace Walker was important for the Cougars in the game. He knocked down 6 out of 8 for this contest giving him a rate of 75.0%, and had 6 rebounds. He tallied 16 points in his 36 minutes on the hardwood and had 1 assist in this game.

Houston has a mark of 32-3 this year. The Cougars are committing 16.5 fouls per contest and they shoot 72.2% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 14.8 times per contest (66th in the nation) and they are turning it over 10.1 times per contest. Houston has scored 2,614 points so far this year (74.7 per contest) and they pull in 38.9 rebounds per contest. When it comes to offense, the Cougars are hitting on 46.2% from the floor, which is ranked 74th in college basketball.

The Houston defense allows 27.3% on shots from 3-point land (218 of 799) and opponents are converting on 69.3% of their free throw shots. They have allowed 10.0 dimes and 31.5 rebounds per game, which has them ranked 13th and 40th in Division 1. The Cougars are ranked 2nd in college hoops in points given up per game with 56.4. They are forcing 14.1 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 36.1% from the floor (1st in college basketball).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Auburn (+8)

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