Game Preview
A pair of Sweet 16 spots will be rewarded on Saturday evening at Birmingham. In the first out of two second round games, the #1 seed Houston Cougars will battle against the #9 seed Auburn Tigers in the Midwest Region of the 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket. Houston comes in with an incredible 32-3 record this season, including 14 wins out of their last 15 matches. As for Auburn, they come in with a 21-12 record, including a massive victory versus #8 seed Iowa in Thursday’s first round.
Tipoff is set to start at 7:10 pm Eastern Time in Birmingham.
Auburn’s main strength has been their offensive playbook, including 4 players averaging double figure points this season. The Tigers are captained by Johni Broome, a veteran big man currently averaging 14.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per bout. Broome was able to showcase his talents in the 1st round versus Iowa, recording 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 blocks.
Looking at their defense, Auburn ranks top five in the nation for overall 3 point defense, suppressing teams to 28.7% from deep with them blocking 13.8% of the same shot attempts. On top of that Auburn is holding opponents to 47% from mid range ultimately forcing regular turnovers ending in transition points.
Let’s check the latest picks, NCAAB news, stats and NCAAB expert picks for Auburn vs Houston. We’ve plenty of NCAAB predictions for you to consider.
As for Houston, their defense has become absolutely elite. The squad currently ranks top 4 in national metrics for adjusted defensive efficiency and scoring defense (56.4 points allowed per bout). The Cougars also lead the country in field goal percentage allowed (36.1%), with an incredible 43% mid range shots allowed.
Houston is extremely efficient creating a turnover out of their defensive prowess, with 21.7% of defensive possessions and has a 12.6% steal rate turning the ball into their hands.
This matchup will be a battle of attrition between both squads defensively, however Houston simply ranks better on the same defensive stats of Auburn. With a 72.3% defensive rebound rate, Houston should be able to gather more second opportunity shots to close this game out.
Auburn vs Houston Game Information
- Date: 03/18/2023
- Time: 07:10 PM ET
- Location: Legacy Arena at BJCC, Birmingham, AL.
- How to Watch Auburn vs Houston : ESPN+
- Live Stream: CBS.com
Auburn vs Houston Betting Lines
Auburn is +203 according to our Vegas NCAAB Lines. This means that if you wager $100 you have the chance to win $203.On the other side, Houston is -245 according to the Vegas NCAAB Lines. This means that if you wager $100 you have the chance to win $41.
The implied probability for these two teams attached to the betting lines has Auburn at a 33.00% chance of winning the game, meanwhile Houston has 71.01% probability of finishing the game with the W.
Sign-up at BetUS TODAY and get 125% BONUS. Use the Promo Code BETUSTV125. Terms and Conditions apply.
