Texas A&M vs Auburn Picks and Odds (Mar. 11)

• Top-seeded Auburn faces Texas A&M in SEC Tournament quarterfinal action
• The Aggies needed OT to outlast Florida in Round 2 Thursday
• Read below for the Texas A&M vs Auburn odds, analysis, and betting prediction

Already the SEC regular-season champions, the Auburn Tigers (27-4, 15-3 SEC) may have done enough to nab an a top seed in the 2022 NCAA Tournament come selection Sunday.

Their quarterfinal opponent Friday, the Texas A&M Aggies (21-11, 9-9 SEC), needed last second heroics just to get to this spot.

They’ll still need to run through the Tigers, ranked fourth in the nation, and probably earn a spot in the SEC Tournament Final to go dancing.

It all tips off at 12:00pm ET from Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, in a game that can be seen live on ESPN.

The top-seeded Tigers are 9.5-point favorites in this matchup against the 8th-seeded Aggies.

Texas A&M vs Auburn Odds

Odds as of March 10 at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Not everyone is sold on the Tigers as a 1-seed. The latest projected NCAA Tournament bracket has Auburn as the 3-seed in the East, looking up at the top-seeded Kentucky Wildcats. A&M isn’t on the list but definitely a bubble team, as they sit 57th in the latest NET Rankings.

Texas A&M Aggies Betting Analysis

After squandering a double-digit lead in the second half of their Round 2 game against Florida, the Aggies found themselves in overtime with the Gators. With the last possession, the ball found its way to Hassan Diarra, who rattled in a three-ball with 0.1 seconds left to lift the Aggies into the quarters in an 83-80 OT thriller.

HASSAN
DIARRA
BALLGAME
🚨🚨🚨🚨@aggiembk pic.twitter.com/2iqDiuhTo0

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) March 10, 2022

Henry Coleman III led five Aggies in double-digit scoring, with 22 points while adding eight rebounds and five steals. Quenton Jackson, the team’s leading scorer, chipped in with 14 points, four boards, three assists and three steals.

As a team, the Aggies shot just 32.6% from three-point range on the season, but drilled 9-for-17 in this one, a crisp 52.9% clip.

Quenton Jackson 🔨 🔨

pic.twitter.com/ZGBwXTCN8g

— Def Pen Sports (@DefPenSports) March 10, 2022

Defensively, two numbers stood out: they recorded 15 steals, part of 18 Florida turnovers on the day, and the also limited the Gators to just 5-for-24 shooting from downtown, a lowly 20.8% mark.

Auburn Tigers Betting Analysis

If there is any concern surrounding the Tigers, it may be a lack of game action. They last played Saturday, March 5, an 82-71 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks that wrapped up their regular season crown.

Jabari Smith, the SEC Rookie of the Year, had a game-high 21 points and six rebounds. He was a perfect 3-for-3 from three point range.

Jabari Smith’s last 5 games:
25.6p, 7.6r
50% FG / 53% 3FG (almost 7 attempts per game) / 84% FT

A year younger than Chet Holmgren and six months younger than Paolo Banchero. pic.twitter.com/HrplqM4ElG

— Matt Pennie (@matt_pennie) March 3, 2022

Smith has become the Tigers’ go-to option down the stretch. He’s led the team in scoring six straight games, averaging 24.8 points over that span. He’s gone for 27 or more in four of those contests, including a season-high 31 against Vanderbilt.

They’re middle of the pack defensively in the SEC, giving up 67 points per game, though they have the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year in Walker Kessler.

Walker Kessler has been on the war path lately for Auburn

Recently posted a triple-double with blocks (12, 11, 12)

Last 4 games: 13.0 PTS, 12.8 REB, 7.8 BLK (lol) #NBADraft

pic.twitter.com/cTlKhYGNBq

— Tyler Rucker (@tyler_rucker) February 14, 2022

The Aggies know him well, as he was a wrecking ball in their lone head-to-head this year, an Auburn 75-58 romp.

Kessler, a 7-foot sophomore, finished with 12 points, 12 blocks, and 11 rebounds. He threw a block party in the first half with seven swats, limiting Texas A&M to 17.9% shooting from the field over the first 20 minutes.

Texas A&M vs Auburn Pick

That head-to-head loss to the Tigers looks like a jump-off point for the Aggies, who have gone 6-1 since, including a 6-1 mark against the spread.

Auburn, meanwhile, wasn’t the same team that started 10-0 in SEC play, finishing the year 6-3 in their final nine games, going just 2-7 ATS in that span.

✅ SEC Regular Season Champs
✅ SEC Coach of the Year
✅ SEC Freshman of the Year
✅ SEC DPOY

Not done yet. #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/py50yfZrWr

— Auburn Basketball 🦚 (@AuburnMBB) March 8, 2022

Fortunately, that top seeding has given them time to recoup, and gives them a big advantage against a team that needed OT and will be playing two games in less than 24 hours.

Auburn can fill it up, averaging 79.3 points per game in the regular season, which ranks 13th in the NCAA. Aside from Smith, three other Tigers averaged double figure scoring. They’re also a first-page team in tempo, according to KenPom, so look for them to push the pace.

Pick: Auburn -9.5 (-115)