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Most of us prepare for March Madness by putting together a bracket, well aware that it will more than likely be busted before we get to the end of the opening round. The fact of the matter is that one of the reasons people are so entranced by the college basketball tournament is because of the upsets and the rise of a Cinderella team that seems to happen every single year. It doesn’t help that the opening round also always seems to deliver a handful of games that are so evenly matched as to be incredibly difficult to handicap. That is what we are getting with this one, as the Auburn/Iowa matchup looks to be one of those that really could go either way. The bookies seem to agree, as they have Auburn in as a 1-point favorite, making this one essentially a pick ‘em play. The point total is set at 152. Let’s take a look at the NCAA basketball odds, so you can prepare your betting strategies for this awaited game.

#9 Auburn Tigers Vs #8 Iowa Hawkeyes Game Info | March Madness Lines

When: Thursday, March 16 at 6:50 PM EST
Where: Legacy Arena, Birmingham
TV: TNT

Why bet on the Auburn Tigers

The Tigers are not exactly coming into the tournament on a wave of great form, as they closed out the regular season losing 3 of their last 4 games to fall to 20-12 overall. They didn’t perform particularly well in the SEC tournament, so they are going to need to pick things up if they want to be playing basketball beyond the opening round of March Madness. In fact, things look even worse if you go back a little further, with the Tigers going just 3-7 SU over their last 10 games. If there is a bright spot here, it’s that they have been good in Thursday games, winning 7 of their last 8, as well as being 9-2 SU in their last 11 games as a favorite. They are 5-2 ATS in Thursday games played away from home. In the month of March, the Tigers have seen 14 of their last 17 go OVER the point total.

Why bet on the Iowa Hawkeyes

The Hawkeyes also had some difficulties coming down the stretch, losing 3 of their last 5, including each of their last 2 games. They are also not particularly great in games played in the month of March, winning just 1 of their last 5, and also covering the spread in just 1 of those 5 games. They are also 1-4 SU in their last 5 games that they started as the underdog, so there are a lot of negatives here that make betting on the Hawkeyes to win seem more than a little risky. One place where we might be able to find some joy with this team in terms of wagering is with the point total. The OVER has hit in 4 of their last 6 Thursday games, as well as in 13 of their last 19 games overall.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

While everything would seem to suggest that Auburn should get the win here, I have a sneaking suspicion that Iowa might just sneak it. I’m not confident enough to make that bet, though, but I do like the OVER in this one. Auburn Tigers 78 Iowa Hawkeyes 79

I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?