Auburn vs. Iowa prediction and odds for NCAA Tournament First Round

The Auburn Tigers lost their first round game as a seven seed in the SEC Tournament and now they enter the first round of the NCAA tournament as the No. 8 seed in the Midwest Region against the No. 9, Iowa Hawkeyes.

Iowa was also one-and-done in its conference tournament getting knocked off by Ohio State in a big upset.

The Hawkeyes aren’t the Big 10 champs like last year, they’re flying under the radar, so could this be the year that Fran McCaffery finally gets to the Sweet 16.

Let’s check out the odds for Auburn and Iowa in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at 6:50 p.m. EST on Thursday.

Auburn vs. Iowa odds, spread and total

Auburn vs. Iowa prediction and pick

There are two very big weaknesses for this Iowa team. Its record on the road, 4-7 and its defense which is abysmal (we’ll get into that in a second).

Now, you might be wondering why the Hawkeyes’ road record would matter in a tournament where every game is at a neutral site. Well it matters because this neutral site is Birmingham, Alabama. It might not be the jungle, but this is basically a home game for the Tigers.

Now, pick apart this Iowa defense. Oh wait, I don’t have to because every team in the Big 10 already did.

They’re 302nd in points allowed per game, 74.5, 252nd in defensive efficiency, 349th in opponent field goal percentage, and the cherry on top, 325th in opponent 3-point shooting. This team is a disaster on that end, but it could shoot the lights out and win this one 88-86.

Well, actually Auburn is sixth in opponent 3-point percentage, 28.8, so enjoy the trip back to Iowa City, Fran.

This my best bet, lock, or whatever you want to call it for the first round. I love the Tigers.

Follow all Josh Yourish’s bets HERE

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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change