Iowa and Auburn Clash Thursday in First Four Betting Game

To summarize, this has been a season of disappointment for the Auburn Tigers.  Last week brought more disappointment at the SEC Tournament with a loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks.  Arkansas was rated worse than Auburn this season.  Consider that Auburn was ranked 11^th in the country during the 2022-23 campaign.  The biggest March Madness betting problem challenge for head coach Bruce Pearl is one of the most inconsistent offenses in college basketball.  And the Tiger defense, while decent, was not dominant enough to cover for that lack of offensive production.  

Iowa vs. Auburn CashBet Wagering Analysis  

At the onset, Auburn was not generating much enthusiasm for the NCAA Tournament.  But a top online sportsbook matchup against Iowa has generated interest.  On the other hand, Iowa is getting its share of backers too.  Accordingly, a public split is expected for this game.

Iowa Must Find Defense to Survive  

At the onset of NCAA Tournament week, the Iowa Hawkeyes have damaged 2023 March Madness betting credibility.  Indeed, Iowa is limping into the NCAA Tournament.  Following a loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the regular season finale, Iowa suffered an embarrassing loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament.  Head coach Fran McCaffrey’s program was again exposed for its leaky defense.

McCaffrey has never delivered a consistent defense to complement his strong offenses at Iowa.  And that is why Iowa has never made a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

The Iowa Hawkeyes are 19-12 straight up, 17-14 against the spread, and 19-12 over/under the total.  Overall, Iowa has national rankings of 20^th for scoring offense, 137^th for field goal percentage, 165^th for 3-point field goal percentage, 110^th for free throw percentage, and 63rd for offensive rebounding.  While on defense, Iowa has national rankings of 302^nd for scoring defense, 349^th for field goal percentage permitted, 325^th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 264^th for defensive rebounding.

Late on, Iowa got the cash in only three of its final ten games.  The Hawkeyes went over the total in three of their final four outings.  Kris Murray leads Iowa with 20.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per contest.  Iowa finished 7^th in the Big Ten standings, four games behind the champion Purdue Boilermakers.

Bruce Thornton scored 17 points, and Roddy Gayle Jr. had all nine of his points in the final six minutes to help give Ohio State a 73-69 win over fifth-seeded Iowa.  Filip Rebraca scored 20 points, Kris Murray 17, and Tony Perkins 16 for the Hawkeyes.  While Ohio State finished 7 of 18 from the arc, Iowa was only 4 of 17 and outscored 14-8 off turnovers, including 10 Buckeyes steals.

Auburn Gets a Chance at Redemption

The Auburn Tigers are 20-11 straight up, 15-16 against the spread, and 18-13 over/under the bet on NCAA basketball total.  Overall, Auburn has national rankings of 155^th for scoring offense, 228^th for field goal percentage, 328^th for 3-point field goal percentage, 233^rd for free throw percentage, and 93^rd for offensive rebounding.  While on defense, Auburn has national rankings of 86^th for scoring defense, 22^nd for field goal percentage permitted, 6^th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 229^th for defensive rebounding.

Auburn failed to cover six of its final nine games.  The Tigers went over the total in four of their last five outings.  Johni Broome led Auburn with 14.0 points and 8.4 rebounds per contest.  Auburn finished 7^th in the SEC race, six games behind the champion Alabama Crimson Tide.

Anthony Black scored 19 points, and Arkansas held off Auburn for a 76-73 victory on Thursday night in the second round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

Auburn vs. Iowa CashBet Free Pick  

In this situation, Auburn has the 2023 March Madness betting advantage of the superior defense.  

Auburn vs. Iowa CashBet Best Bet

Auburn Tigers