Florida vs. Auburn: Picks, Predictions and Odds

There is another excellent slate of college basketball in the SEC on Saturday, including a massive matchup between the Florida Gators and Auburn Tigers.

From a situational perspective, there isn’t much separating these teams heading into this one, as the Gators just knocked off Vanderbilt at home while Auburn rolled over Oklahoma by a whopping 98-70 margin earlier this week.  

While Auburn’s home court (known as “The Jungle” to its fans) has been one of the best home environments in the nation this season, and the Tigers are getting a lot of respect over a top-10 caliber Florida team that has the capability to keep things within single digits in this conference matchup. 

Will the Gators find a way to keep the game close, or will the Tigers keep on rolling over their opponents at home? Let’s get into our expert’s Florida vs Auburn picks, predictions and best bets for this highly anticipated SEC showdown on Saturday.

Florida vs. Auburn betting picks and predictions

Florida +9.5 (-110)

The most important thing for Florida’s offense in this game is the return of point guard Walter Clayton Jr. As of Friday evening, news broke that the senior leader is going to suit up and provide some much-needed stability in the Gators backcourt in a game where they have to have him. 

Clayton Jr.’s return bodes well for an offense that ranks inside the top 10 in adjusted efficiency, while playing a top 25 strength of schedule in terms of opposing defenses per KenPom. Clayton Jr. joins an exceptional guard duo of Will Richard and Alijah Martin, which creates a real edge for Florida in this game, and it wouldn't shock me at all if the Gators were able to spread out Auburn and generate open perimeter shots as a result. 

Additionally, the Gators are elite on the glass (fourth in offensive rebounding percentage) while the Tigers are a lowly 129th in defensive rebounding rate, so there should be chances for Florida to attack the glass and generate second-chance points throughout the game. 

And while National Player of the Year contender Johni Broome can be expected to have another excellent game, the rest of the Auburn offense could certainly struggle against a Gators defense that is fourth in effective field goal percentage, 14th in two-point defense and fourth in three-point defense. 

This is a game that should come down to the final few possessions. With that in mind, let’s take Florida with a +9.5-point start at -110 to keep things close and climb back into the SEC title race. 

Under 157.5 (-110)

While there are avenues for both sides to cover this spread, our best bet for this matchup is the Under 157.5 at -110. 

On one hand, the style of play in this game is one that suits the Over on paper. After all, Florida should look to get out and run in transition as much as possible, especially since Auburn's defense is excellent when operating in the halfcourt. 

However, this is simply a massive total considering that both of these defenses rank inside the top 15 in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency metric. Florida’s offense also could struggle a bit given that Clayton Jr. is returning from an injury that kept him out of the Gators’ last two contests, and playing Auburn isn’t exactly a walk in the park in your first game back. 

On the other side, Auburn’s offense is elite, but the Tigers are still not a great three-point shooting team, and they’ll be playing a terrific three-point defense in Florida. Even at home, our expert can see the Tigers hitting a few rough patches in terms of scoring which will help the under bet. 

All things considered, both offenses could struggle a bit in a game that should come down to the wire. With that in mind, let’s back the under in what could be a slightly lower-scoring affair than what the market is projecting.

Read the latest College Basketball betting picks and predictions on site.

Florida vs. Auburn odds

Florida	+375 ML
Auburn	-500 ML
Spread	Auburn -9.5
Game Total	O/U 157.5

Read Florida vs Auburn: How to watch, TV channel, streaming, start time, predicted lineups and stats on site.

Read the latest College Basketball news on site.

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.