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The Miami Hurricanes are set to face the Auburn Tigers. Check out our March Madness odds series, which includes our Miami Auburn prediction, odds, and pick.
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If you want a fun NCAA Tournament game, this one is likely to deliver the goods. Miami and Auburn love to play up-tempo basketball. They both have very quick guards and like to push the pace. Bruce Pearl wants an up-and-down game. He has regularly coached that way, from Wisconsin-Milwaukee to Tennessee to Auburn. Miami coach Jim Larranaga spreads the floor and does not emphasize low-post feeds or stand-around ball. Players are constantly moving, and floor spacing is central to what the Canes want to do. Miami is a team which, when it scores over 65 points — as it did against USC on Friday — has lost only four times all season. This is definitely something to note when making a Miami Auburn prediction. Miami wants to get points off turnovers, something it successfully achieved against USC. Auburn's guards have been turnover-prone at many points in the 2022 season. There is certainly a path for Miami to win this matchup.
Auburn looked solid against Jacksonville State in the first round, but some people will reasonably say that how a No. 2 seed performs against a 15 seed is not — and should not be used as — a true indicator of how good a team is or how high its ceiling should be. However, Auburn's guards did not commit many turnovers and got their teammates involved in the offense. Auburn had one of its better assist-turnover ratios in recent months, an indication that Bruce Pearl might have finally impressed upon his players the need to share and move the ball more, and make Jabari Smith more of a centerpiece player within this offense. Smith is a projected lottery pick, almost certain to be in the top three, so Auburn needs to ride him at this NCAA Tournament. If Auburn can maintain this level of focus and clarity at the offensive end of the floor, it would naturally affect anyone's Miami Auburn pick.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Miami-Auburn odds:
March Madness Odds: Miami-Auburn Odds
Miami: +7.5 (-110)
Auburn: -7.5 (-110)
Over: 144.5 (-110)
Under: 144.5 (-110)
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Why Miami Could Cover the Spread
The Hurricanes will play with house money after beating USC in a tense, close game on Friday. They have nothing to lose as a No. 10 seed. They will play freely and should be able to get plenty of open shots in what should be a racehorse basketball game. The fun thing about this contest is that both teams like to run. If Miami hits a reasonable percentage of 3-point shots after struggling from the arc on Friday, it should stay very close in this contest.
Why Auburn Could Cover the Spread
The Tigers might be figuring things out on offense, and they have more size and power than Miami does inside. That will be a central reason why Auburn will cover the spread.
Final Miami-Auburn Prediction & Pick
This game feels like an 85-80 game. It could easily be an Auburn blowout, but Miami was bad from the 3-point line on Friday. The laws of averages, if they even out, would suggest that Miami will hit a bunch of 3-pointers on Sunday. That would enable Miami to cover the spread. Also: Take the over here as a bonus pick.
Final Miami-Auburn Pick: Miami +7.5, over 144.5
