The Auburn Tigers (slid to #3 in the latest AP men’s college basketball poll, and they might end up taking out some of their frustrations on Ole Miss. Auburn’s last game was a 63-62 loss to the Florida Gators despite 28 points from Jabari Smith. Auburn returns home, where they are 14-0 on their home floor. Ole Miss (13-14, 4-10 SEC) puts up 68.8 points per game – while Auburn scores 79.8. Auburn won the first meeting of the season back in January, winning down in Oxford, 80-71, behind 20 points from Walker Kessler. This time around, can the Rebels take advantage of an Auburn team that might be questioning itself, or will the Tigers deal out discipline? As we hit the midweek, let’s take a look at some of the top College Basketball betting choices you have.
Ole Miss at #3 Auburn (Wednesday, February 23)
When: Wednesday, February 23, 2022, 8:30 pm ET
Where: Auburn Arena, Auburn, AL
TV: ESPN SEC Network
Radio: No National Broadcast
Live Stream: Hulu
Why should you bet on the Rebels?
Ole Miss ended a four-game skid when they went to Georgia and delivered an 85-68 beating to the bottom-feeders of the SEC. Tye Fagan, who started his college career at Georgia, put up 20 points for Ole Miss. Jaemyn Brakefield and Austin Crowley scored 19 and 18 points, respectively (both career highs). The team won despite the fact that Jarkel Joiner (flu), Daeshun Ruffin (knee) and Matthew Murrell (flu) – Ole Miss’ top three scorers – were all unavailable for the game.
Fagan also chipped in five assists, and Luis Rodriguez and Austin Crowley dished out five apiece. Nysier Brooks put up 10 points and six boards, and as a team, the Rebels only coughed the ball up seven times on the night. Ole Miss finished the first half on a 7-0 run to go into the locker room up by four and then continued that with a 4-0 run after the break, building a lead as big as 20. The Rebels shot 56 percent from the floor and knocked down nine of their 21 three-point attempts.
Why should you put your money on the Tigers?
Life atop the college basketball rankings involves a special kind of pressure, especially if you play in a competitive conference like the SEC. The Tigers won their first four games as the #1 team in the nation but have since dropped two of four, with losses at Arkansas and at Florida bookended around wins over Texas A&M and Vanderbilt. The loss to Florida on Saturday was Florida’s first home win against a team ranked #2 or higher in the nation. Florida has now beaten Auburn 14 straight times at home, thanks this time to 17 Auburn turnovers and an offense that relied too heavily on Jabari Smith.
Auburn trailed by eight late in the first half but started a 21-4 run that lasted into the second half; at the end of the run, Auburn was up by nine. During that run, Florida went 0 for 10 from the floor over a time span of about 8 ½ minutes. However, once the dry spell ended, the Gators nailed seven three-pointers, with three coming in the last five minutes.
Final Score and Betting Prediction
Auburn had some mental hurdles going into Florida – the program’s long losing streak down in Gainesville, and the hot shooting that the Gators showed down the stretch comprising just two of them. Coming back home against the team with the second-worst record in the SEC should allow Auburn to work out whatever kinks have plagued them as of late, as they are still likely to get a 1-seed in March Madness.
Final Score Prediction: Auburn 81, Ole Miss 68.
College Basketball Betting Odds
Love betting NCAA basketball? | Xbet Sportsbook offers up to date college basketball lines
