Auburn basketball is off to a predictable 2-0 start to the 2022-23 season, having knocked off their first two opponents, George Mason of the A-10 and USF of the American Athletic Conference, on the home-floor of the Neville Arena.
The Tigers’ two games so far had the same result (a win) but got there in different fashions — the opener against George Mason was a spread-covering victory while USF, for the second year in a row, held a lead heading into the game’s second half before AU figured it out late.
For game No. 3, it’ll be the Winthrop Eagles from the Big South Conference making way to the Plains for their fourth game of the season. Winthrop opened up their 2022-23 slate with a blowout Power conference road loss to Penn State in Happy Valley but followed that up with wins over Division III Piedmont and Middle Tennessee of Conference USA.
Will Auburn basketball get back to its spread-covering ways on Tuesday night or will Winthrop give the Tigers an early-season scare? Fly War Eagle has your odds and a prediction for the SEC Network-televised matchup (All lines courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook):
George Mason vs. Auburn basketball Odds, Spread and Total
Spread:
Auburn: -18.5 (-110)
Winthrop: +18.5 (-110)
Total: 147 (Over -115/Under -105)
Winthrop vs. Auburn prediction
As with most early-season matchups in college basketball between Power conference opponents and mid-majors, there will be significant physical advantages for the former with the added bonus of home-court.
While ticket prices to the AU game dropped precipitously from the USF matchup last Friday to this mid-week 6pm central time tipoff and attendance could be light by and large, the Jungle will show up. Better yet, the defensive intensity that helped keep both of their opponents under 60 points this season should be present with Johni Broome and Dylan Cardwell each averaging at least two blocks per game and Chance Westry likely making his debut.
Take the chalk with Auburn basketball on November 15.
Prediction: Auburn -18.5 (-110)
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.