The No. 4 Auburn Tigers will take on the No. 13 Yale Bulldogs in the First Round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Below we’ll preview both teams, including analysis and key stats while also providing our prediction. Auburn enters as a 12.5-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Auburn
NET: 5
KenPom Overall: 4
KenPom O: 10
KenPom D: 5
Record: 27-7
Strength of Schedule: 61
Conference: SEC
Conference Record: 13-5
Quad 1 Record: 3-7
SEC championship winner Auburn enters the NCAA Tournament as one of the most efficient teams in the nation on both sides of the floor. The Tigers put up over 80 points per game and ran up one of the highest average scoring margins in the country. Defense was their strong suit as they held opponents to just under 43% shooting from two for most of the year. Keep an eye for what their bigs do down low as they averaged six blocks per contest.
Yale
NET: 81
KenPom Overall: 81
KenPom O: 85
KenPom D: 93
Record: 22-9
Strength of Schedule: 126
Conference: Ivy
Conference Record: 11-3
Quad 1 Record: 0-3
The Yale Bulldogs are going dancing for the second time in three seasons after hitting a buzzer beater to defeat Brown in the Ivy League Championship Game. Ball security was a strong point for the Yale offense this season, as they turned over the ball just 9.5 times per game, the 14th-lowest mark in the nation. Forward Danny Wolf was the star of the show with a team-high 14.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.
Pick: Auburn
Yale is no match for the SEC champions, who took down Florida in a dominant win in the conference title game. While Auburn’s path to the title was not as challenging as it might have been, the Tigers have one of the highest scoring margins in the nation with a balanced approach, and will overwhelm the Ivy League champions early.