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The Iowa Hawkeyes will face off with the Auburn Tigers in the first round of the midwest region of the NCAA Tournament on Friday evening. Iowa enters the game as the eight seed while Auburn is the nine, with the victor receiving the opportunity to likely face Houston in the round 32. The contest is scheduled for a 6:50 PM EST tip-off from Legacy Arena in Birmingham AL, and will be broadcast on TNT.

The Tigers enter the game as a (-1) favorite despite being the lower seed, while the total is currently set at 152 points.

We will now preview each of the two teams, and then we’ll give you our betting predictions for this Round of 64 contest. Keep reading for college basketball odds, analysis, and a free pick for Illinois vs. Arkansas.

2023 March Madness Round of 64 Game
Auburn Tigers vs. Iowa Hawkeyes College Basketball Betting Preview

Auburn of Southeastern Conference meets Iowa of Big Ten in NCAA Tourney Midwest Region First Round
ATS Odds: Auburn -1
Over/Under Odds: 152.5 -110
When: Thursday, March 16 at 4:20 pm ET
Where: BJCC Arena, Birmingham, Alabama
TV / Streaming: TNT

Matchup History

Searching back to the 1949-50 season, there is no record of these two programs having ever met on the hardwood.

Why Bet on Auburn Tigers against Iowa Hawkeyes?

The Auburn Tigers may appear to have been safely in the field, given their seeding on the nine line, but that was not due to the way they finished the regular season. Auburn stumbled down the stretch losing eight of their final twelve games and bowing out of the Southeastern Conference postseason tournament in the first round to Arkansas. The Tigers fell despite getting a twenty-point effort from KD Johnson.

Much as you would expect, the Tigers were below .500 against the spread this season. An inconsistent team made up of players that are the definition of inconsistent typically yields that result. Auburn is just 15-17 against the spread on the season and 8-8 ATS in games played away from home. In neutral site games alone, they are 1-3 ATS and underperforming the number by -2.1 points per contest.

Iowa Hawkeyes
Offensive Averages

Points/G: 72.7
FG %: 43.7
3PT%: 31.4
FT %: 70.2
Rebounds/G: 36.2

Iowa Hawkeyes
Defensive Averages

Points/G: 67.1
FG %: 45.3
3PT%: 28.8
FT %: 70.5
Rebounds/G: 35.0

Why Bet on Iowa Hawkeyes against Auburn Tigers?

Much like the Tigers, the Iowa Hawkeyes stumbled down the stretch going just 4-4 straight up over their last eight games. Also similar to Auburn, the Hawkeyes bowed out of their conference tournament after just one game, falling to Ohio State by four points. The Hawkeyes are one of the best-scoring teams in the nation at over 80 points per contest but also one of the worst defensive teams in the field in terms of defensive points per game at 74.4.

Fran McCaffery’s club is slightly better against the spread than their counterparts at 17-15 ATS on the season, though they underperform the number by -1.1 points on a per-game basis. The Hawkeyes were 0-4 during the season against the spread in neutral site games and shorted the number by -11 points per contest. They covered the spread as the dog in just three of eight games this season.

Iowa Hawkeyes
Offensive Averages

Points/G: 80.2
FG %: 43.7
3PT%: 34.4
FT %: 73.9
Rebounds/G: 36.3

Iowa Hawkeyes
Defensive Averages

Points/G: 74.4
FG %: 45.3
3PT%: 36.6
FT %: 74.4
Rebounds/G: 34.6

Auburn Tigers vs. Iowa Hawkeyes Relevant Trends

In the last 5 of 7 Home games, the Iowa Hawkeyes have covered the Point Spread bet
The Iowa Hawkeyes have not hit the Point Spread in 2 of their last 3 Away games
In the last 6 of 10 games, the Iowa Hawkeyes have covered the Point Spread bet
In the last 2 of 4 Home games, the Auburn Tigers have not hit the Point Spread bet
In the last 3 of 4 Away games, the Auburn Tigers have hit the Point Spread bet
In the last 5 of 8 games, the Auburn Tigers have covered the Point Spread bet

Auburn Tigers vs. Iowa Hawkeyes Final Betting Prediction

One thing you can never do in March is trust Fran McCaffery. Over the course of his career, the long-time Iowa head coach has made the NCAA tournament ten times and has never seen the second weekend of the dance. While Bruce Pearl’s track record may not be sparkling, he is 16-11 in the dance and has a final four to his credit. The Tigers should move to the round of 32.

March Madness Round of 64 Pick: Auburn | Bet Auburn vs. Iowa Today
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Game

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