Auburn vs Florida Odds
| Auburn Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Point Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 -110 | 158.5 -105o / -115u | -125 |
| Florida Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Point Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -110 | 158.5 -105o / -115u | +105 |
The SEC is quickly becoming one of the most entertaining conferences in college basketball.
Both the Auburn Tigers and Florida Gators are in position to make the NCAA tournament, which makes Saturday's contest a big one.
Here's Auburn vs. Florida odds and a pick for Saturday.
Auburn Tigers
Some people love metrics, some hate metrics. Different outlets treat certain teams differently, but all metrics absolutely adore the Auburn Tigers. The Tigers haven't lost many games — only four to date — but didn't have a Quadrant One victory until beating Ole Miss last week in Oxford. After beating Alabama this week, the Tigers have another huge win on their resume.
The Tigers look like a top-10 team and KenPom actually tabs Auburn as the fourth-best team in college basketball, which feels accurate.
The Tigers have an established identity, which is built around intense energy and physicality. They also boast one of the best defensive units in college hoops and rank third in defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.
Auburn's biggest defensive strength is defending the rim. The Tigers boast the best 2-point defensive field goal percentage in college hoops and are led by shot-erasing maestro Johni Broome.
Broome isn't just an elite defensive player and is in fact a top-five player in college basketball. KenPom lists Broome as number two in his NPOY rankings, only behind Zach Edey. Broome averages 16 points, 8.7 rebounds. 2.9 assists and 2.4 blocks per contest.
Auburn isn't perfect, though. The Tigers backcourt has some serious question marks as Aden Holloway has slipped into a bench role and Denver Jones isn't a huge scorer in the SEC. The lack of scoring from those two leaves a lot on Tre Donaldson's plate.
I have faith in Donaldson as he's scored over 10 points and had four-plus assists in back-to-back games, but when it comes down to the wire, is Donaldson good enough to be the go-to guard scorer? That answer isn't yet known.
Florida Gators
Florida needs another marquee win to feel comfortable about its NCAA tournament positioning. After falling short of the dance a season ago, the Gators are itching for their first bid in Todd Golden's time with the program. Beating Auburn would make a massive difference.
According to the BracketMatrix — which aggregates 93 different bracketologists — 76 of the 93 include Florida. However, many of those put the Gators in the "last four in" territory.
The Gators offense is surging thanks to a pair of mid-major guard transfers, Walter Clayton Jr. and Zyon Pullin. The two guards combine for 30 points per game and Pullin also adds over five assists per contest. Florida's success is predicated on running an elite offense as the Gators rank 16th in offensive efficiency.
Golden loves analytics and having two ball-dominant point guards helps manufacture clean offense both in transition and in the half-court.
Micah Handlogten and Tyrese Samuel will be the biggest X-factors in this matchup as they've led the Gators to the second-best offensive rebounding percentage in the country. Auburn ranks around 180th in defensive rebounding percentage, so the Gators should have a big advantage on the glass.
Auburn vs Florida
Betting Pick & Prediction
You won't find a better situational spot than Florida beating Auburn at home. Florida is a talented team that will fight tooth and nail for a spot in the NCAA tournament. Auburn has a lot less to fight for and has already come up short a couple of times in road conference games.
