Two of the top teams in the nation will face off in the Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii, as the No. 4 Auburn Tigers take on the No. 5 Iowa State Cyclones on Monday night.
While both teams are highly ranked, the Tigers are the better team, and I’m taking them to cover in my Auburn vs. Iowa State predictions.
Read on below to see why I like the Tigers in my college basketball picks for Monday, November 25.
Auburn vs Iowa State prediction
My best bet
Auburn -4 (-110 at bet365)
My analysis
The Maui Invitational is one of the toughest preseason tournaments in college basketball, with four of the Top 10 teams in the nation taking part. The Iowa State Cyclones and Auburn Tigers both come into their first-round matchup with undefeated records, though they’ve gotten here by slightly different means.
The Cyclones have only played three games, all against mid-major opponents that had no chance of competing with them. While Auburn has a grew of those games on its resume as well, its 4-0 record also includes an impressive 74-69 win on the road over Houston.
The Tigers were the underdogs in that game, but they won’t find themselves in that position very often this season. Auburn is elite on both sides of the ball, with KenPom ranking them among the Top 5 teams in the nation in both offensive (No. 2) and defensive (No. 5) rating.
Always a key contributor, Tigers leader Johni Broome looks like he’s coming into his own as a superstar in his final season, scoring 20.0 points and snagging 11.3 rebounds per game. Four other players are also scoring in double digits for Auburn, which is averaging 87.3 ppg as a team.
That’s what sets Auburn apart from Iowa State. While the Cyclones are also a dominant defensive unit, they lack some of the scoring punch the Tigers can bring to the table.
Even against its relatively weak competition, Iowa State only has one player averaging exactly 15 ppg in guard Curtis Jones. While the Cyclones have a balanced offense — six players are scoring at least 9.0 points per night right now — those numbers will come down as they have to play more legitimate competition.
One other concern for Iowa State is the simple fact it hasn’t yet played anyone with the size or athleticism of Auburn. While the Tigers have already played another potential title contender in Houston, the best team the Cyclones have faced off against was probably the Kansas City Roos — not exactly a blue-blood program.
Overall, I see Auburn as simply having too many weapons for Iowa State to contend with tonight.
Auburn vs Iowa State same-game parlay
Auburn -3.5
Under 144.5
Tamin Lipsey Under 12.5 points
Auburn should have too much firepower for Iowa State tonight. However, this game will be defined by a battle between two strong defenses, and that’s what I’m using as the basis for my same-game parlay. I’ll take Auburn to cover and combine that with the Under, as I expect both defenses to keep the scoring in check.
On that note, I’ll also take a bet on Iowa State guard Tamin Lipsey to come in Under his scoring prop of 12.5 points. I think all of the Cyclone’s top scorers are reasonable targets for scoring Unders, but Lipsey is my pick, as his early-season scoring has been boosted by unsustainably good shooting. Lipsey should come back to Earth against a tough Auburn defense.
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Auburn vs Iowa State odds
Auburn vs Iowa State live odds
Auburn vs Iowa State opening odds
- Spread: Auburn -3.5 | Iowa State +3.5
- Moneyline: Auburn -170 | Iowa State +145
- Over/Under: Over 147.5 | Under 147.5
Odds courtesy of bet365.
Auburn vs Iowa State betting trend to know
Auburn is 3-0 ATS as a favorite to start the season. Find more college basketball betting trends for Auburn vs. Iowa State.
How to watch Auburn vs Iowa State
| Location: | Lahaina Civic Center, Maui, HI |
| Date: | Monday, 11-25-2024 |
| Tip-off: | 9:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | ESPNU |
Auburn vs Iowa State key injuries
Not intended for use in MA.
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