The Auburn Tigers take on the Memphis Tigers. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Auburn Memphis prediction and pick.

The Memphis Tigers had a sluggish regular season one year ago. They looked like an NIT team and not an NCAA Tournament team in the middle of January, but then they beat the Houston Cougars twice and turned their season around. They made the NCAA Tournament, won a game in March Madness, and gave top-seeded Gonzaga a very good, very tough challenge in the Round of 32 in the Big Dance. Coach Penny Hardaway recovered from a brutal start to the season to lift Memphis back to a level fans have expected and hoped for. Memphis was playing like a high-quality team at the end of last season. The problem was simply the first three months of the season. If Memphis can play a complete season from start to finish, it will get a much higher NCAA Tournament seed and can make a run at the school's first Final Four appearance since 2008, when it made the national championship game and lost to Kansas in overtime after leading late in regulation.

Memphis is 7-2 so far this season, but the Tigers have not played elite opponents. Their losses are to Saint Louis and Seton Hall, neither of which has been particularly strong in the early stages of the new campaign. It is notable that Auburn has also played Saint Louis, beating the Billikens by five points. It will be interesting to see if any information can be gleaned from that common opponent these teams have played, but early in the season, teams are sorting through so many uncertainties that it doesn't seem likely that a huge revelation will be gained from Saint Louis's two games against these teams.

Auburn is 8-0, which — in terms of wins and losses — is as good as the Plainsmen could have hoped for, but no one should think this is an elite team, at least not yet. Auburn won a very ugly 43-42 game over Northwestern, and was not convincing in its narrow win over Saint Louis. The pieces are there for a run at the SEC championship, but Auburn has a lot to prove, and this game against Memphis should tell us more about where coach Bruce Pearl has his team. The big new component of this Auburn roster which gives AU a chance to be really good this season is Johni Broome, the frontcourt star and a transfer from Morehead State. Broome's defense and rebounding give Auburn a lot of strength, toughness, and rim protection. Auburn is likely to lean more on its defense than its offense in this game and in the earlier portions of the season.

Here are the Auburn-Memphis NCAA Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

College Basketball Odds: Auburn-Memphis Odds

Auburn Tigers: -0.5 (-110)

Memphis Tigers: +0.5 (-110)

Over: 139.5 (-110)

Under: 139.5 (-110)

Why Auburn Could Cover the Spread

The Auburn defense can flummox the Memphis offense. Memphis's offense has struggled in a number of wins this season, notably against a not-very-good Stanford team which held Memphis to just 56 points.

Why Memphis Could Cover the Spread

Memphis can bottle up Auburn's inconsistent offense. Memphis learned how to play at a higher level last season against a tough Houston team. That toughness can really help Memphis here.

Final Auburn-Memphis Prediction & Pick

You should definitely stay away from this game, which is basically a coin flip. If you insist on a pick, lean Auburn, but this is a much better live-betting situation than a pre-match pick.

Final Auburn-Memphis Prediction & Pick: Auburn -0.5