One of the top games on tonight’s college basketball slate features a Big 12-SEC matchup between the No. 12 Arizona Wildcats and the Auburn Tigers. The game takes place in Auburn, Alabama, at Neville Arena with a 9:00 p.m. ET start time on ESPN2. This is the fourth meeting between the two programs, with Auburn holding a 2-1 record over Arizona. The Tigers enter tonight’s game undefeated at 2-0, while the Wildcats are 2-1.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Arizona is a -2.5-point favorite, while Auburn is a +120 underdog to pull off the upset. This game has an over/under of 159.5 points, with the over at -112 and the under at -108. Check out my best bet and preview for tonight’s game between the Arizona Wildcats and the Auburn Tigers.
Arizona vs. Auburn prediction, preview
Although Arizona is 2-1 on the season, their first loss came to the UCLA Bruins, who are currently ranked No. 9 in college basketball. Since that loss, Arizona has won back-to-back games by at least 20 points. Even though Tommy Lloyd is still trying to figure out his complete rotation with RJ Godfrey still sidelined, Ivan Kharchenkov and Mo Krivas have been Arizona’s top two players. Kharchenkov is averaging 24.7 points, nine rebounds and five assists on 58.5 percent shooting from the field so far. Meanwhile, the Wildcats big man, Krivas, has averaged 18 points, eight rebounds and 2.7 blocks through three contests. Arizona’s starting backcourt of Caleb Holt (15 PPG) and Derek Dixon (13 PPG) rounds out the Wildcats’ double-digit scorers.
Although Steven Pearl’s-led Auburn squad is off to a 2-0 start, this is their first big challenge of the season after beating Southeastern Louisiana and Appalachian State. Auburn has only two players averaging at least 10 points: Tahaad Pettiford and Kolby King. Pettiford is off to an excellent start, scoring 22 points per game, which is 6.6 more than last season. Auburn’s top four leading scorers so far are all guards, including Kevin Overton and George Kimble III. On KenPom, Arizona is ranked No. 12 while Auburn is No. 22. Arizona has the 15th-best offensive rating and 18th defensive rating, while Auburn’s offensive rating is No. 18 and its defensive rating is No. 34.
Arizona vs. Auburn pick, best bet
In this contest, Arizona has the clear offensive advantage with more high-level scoring options. Also, the Wildcats match up well with the Tigers, as they have several players who can try to slow down Pettiford. If Arizona neutralizes Pettiford, Auburn will likely struggle to generate offense. Krivas will have a tough matchup against Narcisse Ngoy, who is averaging eight points and 10 rebounds. Although Arizona’s offense struggled against UCLA, it has continued to evolve in each game since, and its versatility and depth should be the difference-maker against Auburn. Also, Arizona is 2-1 in their last three true non-conference road games, with wins over UConn and Duke by at least three points.
