Auburn vs Notre Dame Prediction & Picks: Back the Tigers to Blast the Irish in Brooklyn

While the first semifinal matchup in the Legends Classic profiles as a potentially close contest between Oklahoma State and St. Bonaventure, the second semifinal between Auburn and Notre Dame (9:00 pm ET, ESPN2) looks like a major mismatch.

Both teams enter tonight’s contest at Barclays Center in Brooklyn at 1-1 for the season.

But all records are not created equal. Auburn opened the season with a six-point loss to a ranked Baylor squad in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and the Tigers are expected to be one of the better teams in the loaded SEC, which is currently projected to get eight teams in the March Madness field, as per ESPN’s resident bracketologist, Joe Lunardi.

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Notre Dame, on the other hand, is coming off of a ten-point home loss to Western Carolina of the Southern Conference.

Sure, SoCon Preseason Player of the Year Vonterius Woolbright and the Catamounts are a solid team, but that loss highlights where things are right now for new coach Micah Shrewsberry and the Fighting Irish.

As it stands, Notre Dame is dead last among power conference teams at KenPom, the only program from the ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12, or SEC outside of the top 200.

Auburn vs Notre Dame Odds

Odds are courtesy of Bovada.

Spread

• Auburn -14.5 (-110)
• Notre Dame +14.5 (-110)

Over/Under

• Over 143 (-110)
• Under 143 (-110)

Moneyline

• Auburn -1300
• Notre Dame +725

Auburn vs Notre Dame Prediction and Picks

Prediction: Auburn to win

Picks: Auburn -14.5 (-110 at Bovada) & Auburn team total over 78.5 points (-110 at Bovada)

The cupboard isn’t bare for Notre Dame, but it is extremely short on experience, and tonight might be a baptism of fire for the Irish.

Freshmen Markus Burton and Carey Booth, the top two recruits from Shrewsberry’s first class, have made an instant impact.

Burton had the best debut for a freshman in program history, scoring 29 points against Niagara, and he followed that up with 17 points against Western Carolina. Booth was Notre Dame’s best player against the Catamounts, scoring 20 points and adding five rebounds and two blocks.

Northwestern transfer Julian Roper II has also been productive, recording nine points and four rebounds against Niagara and a dozen points and eight rebounds against Western Carolina.

But the Irish appear to be vastly overmatched against Auburn. The Tigers are breaking in some new faces as well, including highly touted freshman point guard Aden Holloway (15.0 PPG, 4.5 APG, 43.8% 3PT), who has hit the ground running.

But Auburn boasts experience that Notre Dame doesn’t have, led by one of the best big men in college basketball in Johni Broome (17.0 PPG, 11.0 RPG).

With where both teams are at this point in time, I don’t see anything other than a convincing win for Auburn. Burton and Booth may keep the Irish in it for a while, but the Tigers will secure a comfortable win and move on to face the Oklahoma State-St. Bonaventure winner in tomorrow evening’s championship game.

Where to Bet on College Basketball

If you are looking for college basketball odds, you will always be spoiled for choice. Sports betting sites all over the internet offer a vast array of NCAA basketball odds throughout the season, from the opening tip in November to the conclusion of the season in early April.

Along with being able to bet on countless games, many online sportsbooks offer men’s college basketball national championship odds, women’s college basketball national championship odds, men’s Wooden Award odds, women’s Wooden Award odds, and odds on who will win early season and conference tournaments.

Below are some of the books that we highly recommend for college basketball betting:

• BetDSI
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