The Auburn Tigers narrowly avoided a loss to New Mexico State in the first round, yet they find themselves as a slight betting favorite vs Kansas in the second round of the Midwest with a likely meeting with UNC as the reward – but we’ll get to that next week. Kansas opened as a 1-point favorite in this game, but the line quickly swung to favor Auburn by 2 points. The total is 148 and climbing.
Standout Stats
- Both teams have wins vs Tennessee this season. Auburn did not play any teams from the Big 12 this year.
- Both Auburn and Kansas are scoring more than 75 points per game this season while neither is in the top 75 in scoring defense. Pundits are expecting a high-pace, high-scoring game. Auburn complained of being tired after Thursday’s game. It will be notable to see how the Tigers react on Saturday.
- This is Auburn’s sixth game in nine days and just the fifth for Kansas. The Jayhawks rolled over Northeastern in their first game while Auburn just got by NM State.
- Kansas might be being undervalued after losing to Iowa State in the Big 12 tournament. That says more about Iowa State than it does Kansas. Bill Self got his team to the Final Four last season and understands how to get there again.
- Auburn hasn’t been past the second round since 2003. The Tigers lost to Clemson by 31 as a 1.5-point favorite last year. Kansas has won in the second round in each of the last three years, all as the betting favorite. The Jayhawks are 13-3 SU and 11-5 ATS in the second round since 2001.
- Kansas has the No. 24 shooting defense in the country at 40.5 percent. This is important as both of these teams will be coming with guard-heavy lineups. Meanwhile, Auburn is No. 145.
- Auburn’s Bruce Pearl is a very emotional coach and it can creep into his team’s play. Added emotion in an already highly emotional situation can be combustible and at best a fine line to balance. Bill Self has been there, done this, and trains his team every single day to be prepared for close games.
My Best Bet for Auburn vs Kansas
Kansas +2
Everything points to Kansas for me in this game and the fact that the Jayhawks are the betting underdog is just fine with me. I’m backing them at +2 and will consider a moneyline bet as well.
Kansas has the No. 24 shooting defense in the country at 40.5 percent.home This is Auburn’s sixth game in nine days.away The Jayhawks are 13-3 SU and 11-5 ATS in the second round since 2001.home
