Auburn and Notre Dame are set to square off in the Legends Classic at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. We continue our college basketball odds series with an Auburn-Notre Dame prediction, pick, and how to watch.
The Tigers rebounded from their season-opening loss to Baylor with an 86-71 victory against Southeastern Louisiana. Bruce Pearl's group dominated the glass with a 46 to 32 advantage on the boards while racking up 21 assists on 29 made baskets.
As for the Fighting Irish, they're coming off a disappointing 71-61 home loss to Western Carolina. Can Notre Dame bounce back with a signature non-conference win?
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Auburn-Notre Dame Odds
Auburn: -14.5 (-115)
Notre Dame: +14.5 (-105)
Over: 142.5 (-115)
Under: 142.5 (-105)
How to Watch Auburn vs. Notre Dame
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET/6:00 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN2
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Auburn Will Cover The Spread
The Fighting Irish are clearly in rebuilding mode under first-year head coach Micah Schrewsberry. The Western Carolina game was the perfect example of that.
Auburn is not in rebuilding mode. The Tigers are a projected NCAA tournament team with size, experience, and an SEC Player of the Year candidate in Johni Broome (17.0 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 1.5 BPG). They should've beaten Baylor – a top-15 team – but the Bears finished on a 14-2 run to win the game by six.
To add to that, Auburn has excelled in areas where Notre Dame has struggled.
The Tigers rank 50th nationally in shooting 39.2 percent from 3-point range, while the Irish are allowing opponents to shoot 36.8 percent (270th) from beyond the arc. Notre Dame also has forced very few turnovers, with Niagara and Western Carolina committing just seven each in those two games. Auburn turned it over 15 times against Baylor and 11 times against Southeastern Louisiana, but won't face as much pressure on defense in this matchup.
If the Tigers do what they want offensively and dictate the tempo (21st in average offensive possession length at 14.6 seconds), then it'll be a struggle for Notre Dame to stop them.
Why Notre Dame Will Cover The Spread
However, if the Irish can slow the game down the way Schrewsberry wants it, then that'll limit opportunities for Auburn to make this an up-and-down contest.
It'll also give Notre Dame a chance to expose the Tigers' defensive weaknesses, which have been evident through two games. Auburn allowed 54 second-half points to Baylor and 43 second-half points to Southeastern Louisiana.
Leaning on the big three – Markus Burton (23.0 PPG), Carey Booth (15.0 PPG), and Julian Roper II (10.5 PPG) – will be key for the Irish since they're the only players averaging five or more points thus far.
It's gonna require the perfect gameplan for the Irish to cover the spread, but it's worth noting that Auburn has won just a single game away from home – the first-round NCAA tournament matchup against Iowa – since January 21 of last season.
Final Auburn-Notre Dame Prediction & Pick
Notre Dame has an entirely new roster for the most part, while Auburn has six players who have played valuable minutes together in recent seasons.
The Irish rank 351st in Ken Pomeroy's experience metric, and it could take a while for the chemistry to come together with this new-look team that starts four freshmen.
The Tigers are better in most facets, including offensive efficiency, defensive efficiency, free throw shooting, 3-point shooting, offensive rebounding, and blocks. They also have the best player on the court in Broome, who could have another huge game.
Auburn should earn a big win.
Final Auburn-Notre Dame Prediction & Pick: Auburn -14.5 (-115)
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