The Auburn Tigers host the LSU Tigers on Tuesday night in an SEC college basketball matchup. The game tips off at 10:00 p.m. ET in Auburn, Alabama.
The Auburn Tigers are listed as 9.5-point favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total set at O/U 155.5 points. Below is my full preview, prediction and pick for this SEC college basketball matchup.
Auburn vs. LSU prediction, preview
The Auburn Tigers are in a terrible run of form. At one point in time, Auburn was 5-3 in SEC play with a real shot at making the NCAA Tournament. However, it has fallen off a cliff entirely over the past few weeks. The Tigers have lost seven of their past eight games. The lone win came by one point at home against Kentucky. Auburn has some very talented players. Senior guard Keyshawn Hall is averaging 20.8 points per game, the 19th-highest scoring player in the nation. Tahaad Pettiford is another talented player for Auburn, who has taken a step forward after a good freshman season. However, Auburn just cannot get stops. It ranks 121st in the nation in defensive rating, the real downfall of its season.
LSU has been terrible throughout the SEC campaign. The Tigers are tied for last place in the conference with a 3-13 record. Two of their three wins came against the other two teams in the bottom three of the SEC standings, South Carolina and Ole Miss. They beat South Carolina in overtime and beat Ole Miss in double overtime. Their only SEC win in regulation this season came at home against Missouri back on Jan. 17th. The Tigers do have four players averaging at least 13 points per game this season. However, just like Auburn, they are miserable on the defensive end, ranking 115th in the nation in defensive rating.
Auburn vs. LSU pick
Neither of these teams can get stops. Auburn and LSU rank 121st and 115th, respectively, in defensive rating. Both teams have also been in miserable form over the past few weeks. Auburn has just one win in its last eight games, while LSU has just one win in its last seven games. It’s hard to trust either of these teams to turn in a good performance at this point in the season, with nothing to really play for. The standout scorers on both teams should look to fill up the stat sheet individually, but overall, it could be a sluggish game.
My best bet is on LSU to cover the 9.5-point spread. The way that Auburn has played the last few weeks doesn’t merit being this big of a favorite against any conference opponent. Neither team plays particularly fast, with Auburn ranking 187th in adjusted tempo and LSU ranking 221st. Despite how bad LSU has been, being on the road or at home hasn’t made much of a difference. Each of its past two wins has come on the road, at Ole Miss and at South Carolina. In what could be a lackluster game between two defeated teams, I will gladly take the points.
