2 Best College Basketball Bets and Player Props for Alabama State vs. Auburn

The Alabama State Hornets defeated the St. Francis (PA) Red Flash in a thrilling 16-versus-16 battle on Tuesday to advance to the first round. However, their reward will be facing the Auburn Tigers -- the tournament's top overall seed. The Hornets will be really up against it as the biggest underdogs on Thursday's slate.

To see thoughts on other games, check out our full men's college basketball tournament predictions page. But for Alabama State vs. Auburn, here are my favorite bets in FanDuel Sportsbook's college basketball betting odds.

Betting Picks for Alabama State vs. Auburn

Auburn -31.5 (-115)

Alabama State had their feel-good moment in Dayton on Tuesday night -- scoring the winning basket on what was effectively a Hail Mary pass -- but barring a monumental upset, their journey will end emphatically here against Auburn. The Tigers have lost three of their last four against tough SEC competition and will likely be chomping at the bit to take their frustrations out on a lesser opponent.

This qualifies as a Quad 4 matchup for Auburn, and in the four they played this season, they won by 51, 44, 41, and 29 points. In the lone game they failed to cover this spread, they uncharacteristically converted just 8-of-30 threes (26.7%), and hitting just one more would've put them over this line.

It's simply hard to see how Alabama State will be able to keep up against an elite opponent. The Hornets rate out as the second-worst team in the entire field by Bart Torvik and KenPom, ranking 275th overall on both sites.

Taking things one step further, they're poor in both adjusted offense (282nd) and adjusted defense (247th), per Bart Torvik. More specifically, Alabama State ranks only 224th in three-point percentage, so a hot shooting night from downtown to keep them in the game is extremely unlikely.

Even with Auburn struggling down the stretch, they come into the tournament ranked 1st in adjusted offense and 12th in adjusted defense. They also play at close to a neutral pace, so we don't need to worry about them burning clock before they're able to reach this margin of victory.

Massey Ratings is particularly bullish on Auburn, projecting them to win by 36 points. Ultimately, this should amount to more of a tune-up matchup for the Tigers as they look to find their peak form for a deep tournament run.

Johni Broome Over 19.5 Points (-106)

Auburn's total points line is set at 90.5, and both Bart Torvik and Massey Ratings project them to score 91 points, so it stands to reason we should expect their best player to be doing a lot of that damage.

Johni Broome leads the team in points per game (18.9) and usage rate (30.7%), and over his last three outings, he's scored 34 (OT), 23, and 23 points.

Overall, he's scored 20+ points in 17 of 30 healthy games (56.6%), and keep in mind that he did so while playing a good chunk of those in the brutal SEC.

A weak defensive team like Alabama State is a poor candidate to slow down one of the top players in the entire sport, and Broome barely needs to exceed his season average to hit the over.

You can also download our FREE college basketball printable bracket.

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Which bets stand out to you for today's games? Check out FanDuel Sportsbook's latest men's college basketball betting odds to see the full menu of options.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.