Auburn Will Get Revenge On Alabama

Alabama vs. Auburn, 7:00 ET

It wasn't a very exciting day in college hoops for me. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a disaster or anything. The plays I shared on Outkick went 1-1. I was completely wrong about a North Carolina team being ready for the game after a big win over Duke. They lost outright to Clemson in North Carolina. I mentioned the odd spread for the game, so I suppose I should've recognized that Clemson was the correct side. In any case, we move on and look to get that unit back in a game between Alabama and Auburn. 

Alabama has climbed the ranks of the college basketball world and sits at 16-6 and 8-1 in conference play. They are also the 16th-ranked team in the country. They've been on quite a run lately as they are 10-1 over their past 11 games. They ran off six straight wins but didn't really face any great competition in that stretch. Most of the games weren't even very close, but it was good because they handled business. Then they faced Tennessee on the road and lost by 20 points. After that, they beat Auburn, LSU, Georgia, and Mississippi State, four solid teams that all have a chance to make the NCAA Tournament. The toughest game was against Auburn, a game they won by just four points on their home floor. As usual, Mark Sears led the way for Alabama. Sears has led the team in scoring for eight of the past nine games as well and has put up at least 21 points in those games. Now they have to travel on the road and face another ranked opponent. Alabama is just 1-4 against their five ranked opponents. They've played five road games as well and they've gone 3-2 in those games, both losses came against ranked opponents.

Alabama Crimson Tide guard Mark Sears and Ohio State Buckeyes guard Dale Bonner battle for a lose ball at Raider Arena in Niceville, Florida. (Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)

Auburn is one of the better teams in the country, and you can expect them to be one of the tougher outs in the tournament. However, they have struggled a bit recently as they've dropped two of their past five games. I mentioned the loss at Alabama, but they followed that up with a six-point loss to Mississippi State. They have won the past two games against Vanderbilt and on the road at Ole Miss. Both were convincing wins and they look to keep rolling. The team is led by their front court with two forwards that average double figures in each game. They have a pretty balanced back court, but they will have their hands full trying to stop Sears tonight. Against Alabama in their first game, Auburn was only able to hit five of 25 three-point attempts. I have to assume that the team will be better at home instead of on the road. That really was the biggest difference in the game as Alabama hit six more threes than Auburn and won the game by four points. 

Tonight, I expect the home court advantage to come into play. If they lost to Alabama in Alabama by four points, the logical conclusion would be that Auburn probably would be a three or four-point home favorite. They are now sitting at -5.5 showing a bit of strength. I think Auburn's defense should be better and look to lock in on Sears. The book also seems to think the offenses will be better in this one as the total is 163, which is 11 points higher than the last game. Take Auburn to cover in this one. Maybe consider a sprinkle on the under though, I just don't see them both putting up 80 points. 

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on Twitter: @futureprez2024