Auburn vs. Houston: Picks, Predictions and Odds

Two teams with legitimate Final Four aspirations lock horns at the Toyota Center as No.4 Houston hosts 11th-ranked Auburn. 

The Tigers have made three straight NCAA appearances and finished 27-8 last season, while Houston went 32-5 and reached the NCAA tournament for the sixth straight time last spring. 

Both teams are looking to advance further in the postseason. Auburn has not reached the second weekend of the tournament since its lone Final Four appearance in 2019, and was knocked out by No.13 seed Yale last season.

Houston has gone 125-19 the past four seasons without making a Final Four. That includes a region semifinal loss to Duke as the region’s top seed last spring. 

The Cougars put their nation-leading 23-game home win streak on the line.

Read below to see our experts’ predictions for this primetime matchup.

Auburn vs. Houston betting picks and predictions

Auburn +5.5 (-110)

Both teams have one regular season game under their belts, and both of those games were blowouts.

Georgia Tech transfer Miles Kelly made seven 3-pointers and scored a game-high 21 points to lead Auburn over traditional America East power Vermont, 94-43.

Preseason All-American selection Johni Broome (16.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 78 blocks last season) added 12 points and seven rebounds.

The Tigers led the nation last season in defensive effective field goal percentage and will be a threat to do so again this fall.

Houston had a similarly easy time with Jackson State, notching a 97-40 victory on opening night.

Houston’s own preseason All-American selection, L.J. Cryer, led the team with 16 points. Mylik Wilson added 15, followed by J’Wan Roberts with 14 and six rebounds and Milos Uzan with eight points, seven rebounds, and 10 assists.

Houston went 18-18-1 against the spread last year, while Auburn was 21-14 ATS and one interesting side note involves Auburn.

The team’s flight to Houston had to be grounded shortly after takeoff due to a scuffle between a couple of players, leading to a later flight. Is Auburn the kind of team that just fights amongst itself and then takes it out on its opponents, or does it implode? 

Our experts believe it will be the former and the Tigers will take it to Houston.

We’re not sure if Auburn can pull off the win on the road, but 5.5 points may be a bit too steep for the Cougars to cover in this matchup.

Look for Auburn to cover the 5.5-point spread as the underdog in this thrilling non-conference matchup.

Total Over 141.5 points (-110)

These are two stingy defenses. Houston held opponents to just 57.6 points per game last year and Auburn wasn’t too far behind at 68.3 points allowed, and that’s with playing in the fast-paced SEC.

However, both teams have high flying offenses they’ll want to show off like a new car in this early season matchup. 

Look for this contest to play to the over.

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Auburn vs. Houston odds

Auburn	+188 ML
Houston	-225 ML
Spread	Houston -5.5
Total Points	O/U 141.5

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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.