Notable head coaches lead power conference teams in the 2023 NCAA Tournament game Thursday night. Bruce Pearl and No. Auburn Tigers with 9 picks will play Fran McCaffery. 8 Iowa Hawkeyes seeds. The battle will take place at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama, with Iowa holding an elite offense and Auburn a parsimonious defense. This season, the Hawkeyes are 19-13 on aggregate and the Tigers are 20-12.
Caesars Sportsbook lists Auburn as a 1.5-point favorite with kickoff scheduled for 6:50 pm ET. The total points that Vegas thinks will be scored or over/under is 151.5 in the latest Auburn vs. Iowa odds. Before making any choice between Iowa and Auburn, you need to See college basketball predictions and March Madness betting tips from SportsLine’s advanced computer simulation model..
The SportsLine projection model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model competes in the 2023 NCAA Tournament 79-53 across all ratings. college basketball choice this season, returning nearly $1,300 for $100 players. Anyone who followed him saw huge profits.
The model is now targeting Auburn vs. Iowa and just locked the picks and predictions of the March madness in it. You can head over to SportsLine to see his selections.. Now, here are some college basketball betting lines and trends for Iowa vs. Auburn:
- Scatter Auburn vs. Iowa: Auburn -1.5
- Auburn vs. Iowa Over/Under: 151.5 points
- Auburn vs. Iowa moneyline: Auburn -120, Iowa +100
- AUB: Tigers are 4-5-1 against spread in last 10 games
- IOWA: Hawkeyes 3-6-1 vs. Scatter in Last 10 Games
- Auburn vs. Iowa: See selections on SportsLine
Why can Auburn cover
Auburn has the best defense in this game and Iowa is struggling on this side of the court. The Hawkeyes are not ranked in the top 300 in the nation in defensive scoring, with 74.4 points per game. Iowa ranked second in the Big Ten in defensive effectiveness, and the Hawkeyes are also at the very bottom of the nation in opposing shots. Opponents are shooting 36.6% of three-pointers and 52.6% of two-pointers this season against Iowa.
From there, Auburn has notable offensive strengths, including a four-player balance averaging into double figures. Johny Broome leads the team with 14.0 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, and he shoots 52.9% from the field. The Tigers also provide 33.3% of available offensive rebounds and Auburn is above average, creating 20.8 free throws and 14.2 assists per game. The Tigers also make 51% of their two-point attempts while putting pressure on the rim.
Why Iowa can cover
The Iowa attack is highly explosive and difficult to contain. The Hawkeyes are in the top three in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency, consistently scoring and putting pressure on opponents. Iowa is led by All-Big Ten forward Chris Murray, whose first-round predicted pick is averaging 20.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game on a 58.0% shooting percentage this season. Iowa also handles the ball well, with a turnover rate of 14.1%, in the top 10 in the nation.
The Hawks also average 16.6 assists per game, which is top 15 in the nation, and well above average in a variety of additional categories. This includes a 32.2% offensive rebounding rate and strong free throw creation, as well as a fantastic shot count. This season, Iowa is making 52.1% of two-pointers, 34.3% of three-pointers and 73.9% of free throws. Given that Auburn isn’t in the top 300 in the nation in allowed free throw frequency, Iowa could have a path to success on the line.
How to pick Auburn vs. Iowa
The SportsLine model relies on the total: only four players predict they will score 11 or more points. The model also says that one side of the scatter hits over 60% of the simulations. You can only see the model selection on SportsLine..
So, who will win in Auburn vs. Iowa? And which side of the spread covers over 60% of the simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Auburn-Iowa scatter you need to jump on Thursday, all from the model who squashed her college basketball picks.and to know.