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Auburn opened as a 9.5-point favorite over 9-seed Creighton in its second-round game on Saturday.
ESPN Bet posted odds for the Round of 32 NCAA Tournament game shortly after Auburn‘s 83-63 win over Alabama State on Thursday. The point total is set at 150.5. Auburn is -450 on the money line to beat the Bluejays.
Creighton (25-10) beat 8-seed Louisville on Thursday, 89-75. The Jays were led by 29 points from Jamiya Neal and 22 points from Steven Ashworth. Neal also provided 12 rebounds and 6 assists. Ryan Kalkbrenner had 14 points, 6 boards, and 4 blocks.
Creighton made 11 of its 24 attempts from 3-point range and shot 57% overall from the field.
The Jays were a 3.5-point underdog in the game. On the season, they are 20-13-2 against the spread.
Auburn is 18-16 ATS this season, but the Tigers have failed to cover in 5 straight games and in 7 of their last 9. They closed as a 31.5-point favorite over Alabama State in the first round. They were a 5-point favorite in the SEC Tournament loss to Tennessee on March 15.
Head coach Bruce Pearl said after Thursday’s win over Alabama State that, if the Tigers play the same way against Creighton, they’ll lose.
“We’re not playing as well as we were a month ago. It’s not a good time to be in that situation,” Pearl said. “Now, can we get it turned around and beat a really good Creighton team? Yeah, we can.”
The Tigers had lost 3 of their previous 4 games entering the tournament. But their reputation remains strong. KenPom projects an 81-71 Auburn victory.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
