The Auburn Tigers grabbed the No.4 seed in the East region thanks to their run through the SEC conference tournament. They will play against Yale, who earned the Ivy League bid with a buzzer-beater win over Brown on Sunday. The teams will face the winner of San Diego State and UAB in the second round. It is time to continue our March Madness odds series with a Yale-Auburn prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

Auburn went on a six-game winning streak to finish the regular season and conference tournament, beating Florida 86-67 to win the tournament championship. The Tigers have dominated their opponents over this stretch, winning games by an average of 18.8 points. Auburn is being sent to Spokane, Washington this weekend, the third time they've had to travel a long distance for the opening round since 2018. Bruce Pearl is upset with the location of his games and the disrespect towards Auburn, and a motivated Bruce Pearl could be trouble for their opponents along the way.

Yale snuck into the tournament after beating Brown on Sunday to win the Ivy League tournament. The Bulldogs finished third in the regular season but beat Brown on Sunday with a 62-61 win thanks to Matt Knowling's layup at the buzzer. Danny Wolf leads the way for Yale, averaging 14.3 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 43 block shots. Yale will try to shoot Auburn out of the gym thanks to John Poulakidas and August Mahoney's three-point shooting. The Bulldogs last faced the Tigers in 2021, with Auburn dominating 86-64.

Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

March Madness Odds: Yale-Auburn Odds

Yale: +12.5 (-110)

Moneyline: +640

Auburn: -12.5 (-110)

Moneyline: -1000

Over: 140.5 (-110)

Under: 140.5 (-110)

How to Watch March Madness 

Time: 4:15 PM ET/1:15 PM PT

TV: TNT

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why Yale Will Cover The Spread/Win

Yale has plenty of experience against the nation's best teams this season, facing off with Gonzaga, Kansas, and Vermont on the road. They also beat Colgate at a neutral site, a fellow tournament team. Yale will be severely undervalued in this game after Auburn dominated the SEC tournament, but Auburn had the fortune of all the top SEC teams bowing out early. Yale isn't as weak as some think, as the Bulldogs are top-100 in adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency.

Florida turned over the ball ten times against Auburn on Sunday, but they might not get the same fortune against Yale. Yale has the ninth-fewest turnovers per game of teams playing in the tournament.

Why Auburn Will Cover The Spread/Win

Auburn has one of the deepest teams in the tournament, with 11 players averaging over double-digits in minutes per game. They have a deep bench, with backups at every position that can slot into Pearl's lineup and not hinder the performance of the Tigers. March Madness is a long tournament and having fresh legs will be important. Auburn's superior depth was evident against Florida and will serve them well in the NCAA Tournament. In the short term, Yale's bench plays just 23.6% of the team's minutes and will get worn out playing at Auburn's pace and constant flow of fresh bodies.

Final Yale-Auburn Prediction & Pick

Yale's coach James Jones has addressed the task of playing against the SEC Tournament champions. “We're just excited to play,” Jones said. “I know Auburn is going to be a very tough opponent. We're excited to go out to Spokane and hopefully have a great first-round game.” That doesn't sound like a coach confident in his team's ability to stay competitive in this game. Auburn will dominate Yale's weak bench and run away with this game in the end.

Click here for more betting news and predictions

Final Yale-Auburn Prediction & Pick: Auburn -12.5 (-110)