Auburn vs. Florida: Picks, Predictions and Odds

After a long and grueling college basketball season, all roads have finally led to the men's tournament national semifinals this weekend.  

Only four teams remain in the tournament field, and we’ll see a couple of titans in the SEC square off on Saturday when the Auburn Tigers take on the Florida Gators in the first of two games in San Antonio, Texas. The winner will advance to the title game on Monday to play the winner of Houston vs. Duke.  

Auburn didn’t look perfect in any of its four games in the South Region, but the Tigers have still managed to win every game by double digits to this point, even while trailing in the second half against both Creighton and Michigan. 

As for the Gators, Todd Golden’s team showed that it is well-equipped to handle whatever challenges are thrown its way, as Florida has survived stern tests against UConn and Texas Tech, pulling out a pretty improbable victory in the final minutes of the latter game to advance to this point.

Can Auburn get to the title game under head coach Bruce Pearl, or will Florida continue its historic season and make it back to the championship game for the first time since 2007? 

Let’s get into our expert Auburn vs Florida picks, predictions and best bets for this last four matchup on Saturday.

Auburn vs. Florida betting picks and predictions

Florida -2.5 (-110)

From a pure numbers perspective, the data would suggest that this number should be closer to a pick ‘em, instead of Florida as a favorite of nearly one full possession. 

However, there is uncertainty about Auburn’s current form, as well as the health of big man Johni Broome. The Tigers star has already been playing through a leg injury in this tournament before suffering what appeared to be an elbow injury in the second half against Michigan State last Sunday.

Broome is expected to play in this game, but his health status is generally unknown. The senior isn’t going to practice this week, which is also a bit concerning heading into the biggest game of the season. 

As for Florida, the versatility of Golden’s group is what makes them such a tough out. Even if Broome is relatively healthy and ends up playing heavy minutes in this game, the Gators will still be able to throw Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh and Rueben Chinyelu at Broome to make things as difficult on him as possible.

Furthermore, Condon and Haugh should be able to hold their own on the offensive end by creating mismatches with their passing and cutting ability.

The guard play is what really separates the Gators from most teams, as the trio of Walter Clayton Jr., Will Richard and Alijah Martin form a massive edge for Florida. Clayton Jr. has established himself as a clutch shot-maker, and he won’t be scared to go for broke on the biggest stage against an Auburn defense that while very good, has fallen off a bit from where it was a month ago.  

All things considered, we will take Florida to cover a spread of -2.5.  

Under 159.5 Total Points (-110)

While both of these offenses do have paths to success on Saturday, it is hard to see past the Under in this matchup. 

As mentioned in our Houston vs. Duke predictions, Saturday’s games are being played in Alamodome, which is not a venue that should be conducive to plenty of scoring. 

The sight lines in these cavernous non-basketball stadiums aren’t ideal for shooters and teams generally tend to start off a bit slow. 

The path to an Over only gets more difficult once we factor in both defenses in this game, as we have two of the 10 best defenses in the nation per BartTorvik, EvanMiya and KenPom ratings, among others. 

While Florida likes to play with pace, the Gators could run into a bit of a roadblock in this game considering that Auburn has shown a tendency to play in the halfcourt and slow the game down a bit. 

Considering that the Gators also struggled a little in the halfcourt against Texas Tech and UConn earlier in the tournament, there should be an incentive for the Tigers to slow things down and limit transition opportunities for Florida. 

Read more betting picks and predictions for College Basketball on site.

Auburn vs. Florida odds

Auburn	+125 ML
Florida	-150 ML
Spread	Florida -2.5
Total	O/U 159.5

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.