Auburn Tigers vs. Kentucky Wildcats 3/31/19, Prediction & Odds

Tigers vs. Wildcats Prediction

A Southeastern Conference clash will take center stage this afternoon as the second-seeded Kentucky Wildcats take on the fifth-seeded Auburn Tigers in the Elite Eight. Can Auburn stun another higher-seeded team and advance to the Final Four?

Game Snapshot

693 Auburn Tigers vs. 694 Kentucky Wildcats 

Sunday, March 31, 2019

Sprint Center at 2:20PM ET

TV: CBS

Compare odds from multiple different online sportsbooks and shop for the best lines at our College Basketball Odds & Betting Page.

 

Public Betting Information

According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, the Wildcats are set as a 5-point favorite on the spread line. The total is set at 141 points. As of Sunday morning, 52 percent of public bets are being placed on Auburn. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for up-to-date information.

Okeke tears ACL as Tigers stun Tar Heels

Auburn rolled to a 97-80 victory Friday night over North Carolina in the Sweet 16 to advance to the Elite Eight with a 29-9 record. The Tigers outscored the Tar Heels 56-41 in the second half on its way to the way. Auburn shot 36-of-66 from the floor, 17-of-37 from 3-point range plus 8-of-17 at the free throw line. Chuma Okeke led the Tigers with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting including 3-of-5 from 3-point range plus 1-of-3 at the free throw line before suffering a torn ACL in the second half that will keep him out the rest of the tournament. He also accounted for 11 rebounds, two assists and two steals. Malik Dunbar tallied 13 points and four boards. Bryce Brown accounted for 12 points, four caroms, two dimes and two steals. Danjel Purifoy had 12 points and two rebounds off the bench. J'von McCormack registered 10 points, two boards, two assists and two steals. Samir Doughty added 10 points and two assists.

Wildcats hold off Cougars

Kentucky edged Houston by a score of 62-58 Friday night to move on to the Elite Eight with a 30-6 record. The Wildcats led 37-26 at halftime before holding off a Cougars rally attempt after the break. Kentucky shot 22-of-46 from the field, 4-of-12 from 3-point range plus 14-of-19 at the free throw line. Tyler Herro led the Wildcats with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting including 1-of-3 from 3-point land plus 4-of-5 at the charity stripe. He also recorded three rebounds and two assists. P.J. Washington contributed 16 points off the bench after missing the first two games of the NCAA Tournament with an injury. He also contributed two rebounds.

College Basketball Betting Trends

Auburn

The Tigers are 5-1 ATS in their last six SEC games. Auburn is 5-2 ATS in its last seven neutral court games.

Kentucky

The Wildcats are 1-5 ATS in their last six games versus the SEC. Kentucky is 4-1 ATS in its last five games overall.

Prediction:

Considering the way Auburn just wrecked North Carolina and played well against Kentucky once this season while getting slaughtered the other time, I like its chances here. I see the 80-53 loss at the Wildcats back on February 23 as as outlier as the Tigers have not lost since. With an elite offense, Auburn should be able to go basket for basket against a team that struggled to put away Wofford and Houston.

 

NCAA DAILY PREDICTION: AUBURN TIGERS +5