Auburn vs. Tulsa College Basketball prediction, preview (8:00PM ET on Sunday in Indianapolis, IN)
We should see plenty of offensive firepower in this one, as Auburn ranks 10th in the country in offensive efficiency, and Tulsa is up at 40th overall. Neither team is particularly stout on the defensive side of the ball, with a slight edge to the Tigers, who ranks 112th in defensive efficiency, compared to 125th for the Golden Hurricane.
Auburn is averaging 83 points per game during the four wins in the NIT, and should be able to get whatever it wants in this matchup with Tulsa. The Tigers seemed to be a little distracted in their NIT opener against South Alabama, which can be expected after missing out on the NCAA Tournament. But since then, they’ve been blowing doors, including halftime leads in each of the last three games that they’ve gone on to win.
Auburn obviously has more size and skill than the Golden Hurricane, and won’t be overlooking the scenario in the NIT. Now that the Tigers are onto the championship game, I don’t think it’ll be a spot they fall flat against an inferior team. They’re already here, so might as well win the thing. Too much offense from Auburn in this one should lead to the Tigers cutting down the nets in Indy.
