Auburn basketball big favorites vs Jacksonville State in the NCAA Tournament

The Auburn Tigers are favored to win over Jacksonville State in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

First round matchups should never be overlooked. Auburn knows this pretty well.

New Mexico State was a missed corner three away from defeating the Tigers back during the 2019 NCAA Tournament, but Auburn escaped 78-77. It was a close game that Auburn seemingly had a grip on late but some questionable plays allowed the Aggies to climb back into the matchup with a chance to win on a last second shot. Not the ideal start to the tournament that the Tigers wanted, but what followed after was history.

Auburn (27-5) will face off against in-state foe Jacksonville State tomorrow in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers finished the regular season on a bit of a slump (going 5-4 to finish) and are predicted to be an early exit by some. However, the oddsmakers don't seem to think Auburn is going to struggle in this matchup against the Gamecocks. Take a look at the odds according to BetOnline.

Odds for Auburn vs Jacksonville State

Spread: Auburn (-15.5)

Over/Under: 138

Money Line: Auburn (-1600) Jacksonville State (+890)

If Auburn is going to cover against Jax State, they'll need to hit some outside shots. The Gamecocks are undersized, and they like to commit to the paint while allowing opponents to take threes, which has hurt them at times this season. If the Texas A&M game was any indication as to how Auburn will shoot in the NCAA Tournament, fans should be fearful.

Wendell Green and KD Johnson have to do a better job scoring with more consistency. Johnson is coming off of his worst shooting performance of his career, and Green has taken a dip in field goal percentage since the start of conference play. Auburn desperately needs them to show up tomorrow afternoon.

Auburn vs Jacksonville State tips off Friday, March 17th at 12:45 p.m. ET on TRU TV.

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