The Arkansas Razorbacks take on the Auburn Tigers. Our college basketball odds series has our Arkansas Auburn prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Arkansas Auburn.
The SEC basketball season has already taken a significant turn. You might have noticed earlier on Saturday that Alabama completely wiped out Kentucky. It's reasonable to say that Kentucky is not an SEC championship contender. Tennessee and Alabama are two contenders. Arkansas is the third. We're not really sure about Auburn just yet, but we will probably know a lot more about the Tigers after this crucial game, which they get on their home floor.
Auburn was fortunate to beat a middling Florida team at home. Then it lost to Georgia a few days ago. Georgia lost to Florida earlier on Saturday. It is early in the SEC season, so a lot of teams are still mysteries. Auburn qualifies as one. Tennessee, Alabama and Arkansas appear to be the class of the league. Now we get to find out if Auburn is serious about joining the top tier of the SEC. It's why this game is so interesting.
Here are the Arkansas-Auburn college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel:
College Basketball Odds: Arkansas-Auburn Odds
Arkansas Razorbacks: +1.5 (-115)
Auburn Tigers: -1.5 (-105)
Over: 139.5 (-110)
Under: 139.5 (-110)
How To Watch Arkansas vs. Auburn
TV: SEC Network
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET, 5:30 p.m. PT
*Watch Arkansas-Auburn LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why Arkansas Could Cover The Spread
If you have followed Arkansas basketball under head coach Eric Musselman, you know that Arkansas is one of the best finishers in college basketball. This team consistently plays the last 10 minutes of a game better than its opponent does. It is the signature virtue of Musselman. His teams nail down endgame situations. They play great defense late in close games. They give away fewer points and possessions than their opponents in the final minutes. The Hogs don't panic. They translate pressure into energy and tension into athleticism. They don't get passive or timid; they get after it at both ends of the floor and play without fear. In the SEC in general but specifically in an intimidating road environment such as Auburn, that fearlessness is absolutely essential. The Musselman difference is real, and it should matter in this game.
Also note that Auburn just played a brutal game against Georgia after playing a shaky home game versus Florida. Auburn's guards are turnover-prone, and there is no elite takeover scorer such as Jabari Smith (the top-three pick from last year's NBA draft) who can calm everything down when the Tigers need a bucket. Auburn's offense is just way too volatile to win big games, especially against good defensive teams such as Arkansas.
Why Auburn Could Cover The Spread
The Tigers know they really need this one. Yes, it's early in the SEC season, but if Auburn loses here, it will fall multiple games behind the leaders in the SEC, and it will have to play those teams later in the year. Auburn can't lose to equally-talented opponents in addition to giving away games to lower-level opponents such as Georgia. The Tigers essentially bogeyed a hole with the Georgia loss. They know they need to birdie this game against Arkansas and get back on track. Playing at home should help. Also note that Arkansas is without Nick Smith, a high-upside freshman who got hurt. That leaves a deficit for the Hogs, who — as good as they are — continuously create early-game deficits and keep having to come back in the second halves of games. That's playing with fire, and a motivated Auburn team can make the Hogs pay for that.
Final Arkansas-Auburn Prediction & Pick
You shouldn't want anything to do with this game. Arkansas is a good team but prone to bad first halves. Auburn is very erratic. The game figures to be a live wire. What you could do in Arkansas games is bet against Arkansas in the first half and bet for the Hogs in the second half, but really, you should just look for other games to bet on this Saturday.
Final Arkansas-Auburn Prediction & Pick: Arkansas +1.5
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