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It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Michigan-Auburn prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Michigan-Auburn.
The Michigan Wolverines have found a higher gear, and they have also shown us why coaching matters so much in college basketball. Dusty May has taken a program which was a total mess last year and — in one season — whipped it into shape. Michigan is back in the Sweet 16 after beating a Texas A&M team which was hoping to face Auburn in an all-SEC Sweet 16 game. Instead, it will be Michigan versus Auburn in a Big Ten-versus-SEC game. Both South Regional semifinals in Atlanta on Friday are Big Ten-versus-SEC games. The first game is Ole Miss-Michigan State. This Michigan-Auburn game is the nightcap. There is a possibility that the Elite Eight on Sunday could be Michigan versus Michigan State. Michigan will know if MSU has already advanced, so if the Spartans do win, Michigan will want to be sure it doesn't get left out of an all-Michigan matchup for a trip to the Final Four.
Here are the Michigan-Auburn College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
2025 March Madness Tournament Odds: Michigan-Auburn Odds
Michigan: +9.5 (-118)
Moneyline: +330
Auburn: -9.5 (-104)
Moneyline: -430
Over: 153.5 (-112)
Under: 153.5 (-108)
How to Watch Michigan vs Auburn
Time: 9:39 p.m. ET/6:39 p.m. PT
TV: CBS
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Michigan Will Cover The Spread/Win
Dusty May is a difference-maker. We can all see it and appreciate it. The 2023 Final Four run at Florida Atlantic was no fluke or one-off event. Dusty May can coach, and we keep seeing proof of it.
The thing to appreciate about May at Michigan is that his team was scouted very extensively by Big Ten opponents. As the season moved along, it became harder and harder for Michigan's offense to function against conference opposition which knew what the Wolverines wanted to do. However, as soon as Michigan stepped outside the Big Ten in NCAA Tournament play, we have seen the Wolverines become more effective on offense — particularly in the win over Texas A&M last Saturday — and remind us why they are a tough team to defend. Auburn has National Player of the Year candidate Johni Broome in the paint, but he can guard only one of Michigan's two bigs. Broome will probably handle Vlad Goldin, but then there's Danny Wolf in the mix. Auburn might have a tougher time guarding him.
Michigan doesn't even need to win to cover, either. Michigan can lose by nine whole points and still cover. That seems like an attractive pick to make here.
Why Auburn Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Tigers trailed Creighton 50-48 early in the second half of last weekend's second-round March Madness game. Then they went on a 10-0 run. They found another gear and were able to win by 12, covering what was a 9.5-point spread. This is the thing about Auburn: It can play an ordinary game for 25 minutes but then play five elite minutes and completely change a game. What might feel like a game in which Auburn won't cover the spread can turn into a comfortable cover in five or six minutes. This is something bettors love to see in a team. Auburn's guards are much better than Michigan's guards. That figures to be a main point of separation between the two sides over 40 full minutes.
Final Michigan-Auburn Prediction & Pick
Our lean is to Michigan, but this is a live-play game. Wait until halftime at least, if not the middle of the second half.
Final Michigan-Auburn Prediction & Pick: Michigan +9.5
