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Virginia vs Auburn March Madness Odds & Final Four Preview

Virginia vs Auburn March Madness Odds & Final Four Preview

Written by on April 2, 2019

NCAAB News and Betting Previews| Xbet.ag
If you follow Auburn’s recent progress back to the SEC Tournament final, they have beaten Tennessee, Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky — four of the blue bloods of college basketball. It’s also true that New Mexico State came within a point of eliminating Auburn in the first round of the tournament — but the great teams overcome moments of adversity. Virginia trailed at halftime against 16-seed Gardner-Webb in the first round, as they had an awful chance of losing as a 1-seed for the second straight season after being the first team ever to suffer that ignominy last year. Virginia needed overtime to beat Purdue and only beat 12-seed Oregon by four, so they have definitely lived on the edge to get here. Which team will advance to the national championship game on Monday night? We have your sports betting preview right here.

Virginia vs Auburn March Madness Odds & Final Four Preview

Why should you bet on Virginia?

Virginia comes into this game ranked eighth in the nation in three-point percentage. Kyle Guy, Ty Jerome and De’Andre Hunter each put up at least 99 attempts from downtown and made at least 37 percent of them. Virginia could rely on their sharpshooting to overwhelm Auburn, one possession at a time, as they wear down the Auburn defense with their passing game before draining shots from distance. In their overtime win over Purdue, Virginia got 25 points from Guy, who went 8 for 19 from the floor and hit five three-pointers. He also grabbed 10 rebounds. Jerome hit four shots from downtown and put up 24 points in the game, going 7 for 18. Mamadi Diakite was big inside, putting up 14 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks, and De’Andre Hunter also contributed 10 points. Guy is the Cavaliers’ top scorer, and the fact that he averages just 15.2 points per game shows much of a premium the Cavaliers put on defense — and how slow the pace of the Cavalier attack grinds. Virginia leads the nation in scoring defense, permitting 55.4 points per game, and they rank fifth in lowest shooting percentage permitted (38.4%). From downtown, they limit opponents to a 28.7% accuracy rate, fourth best in the nation.

Why should you put your money on Auburn?

Auburn lives and dies by the three-ball, as they take almost half their shots from downtown and score just over 43 percent of their points from behind the arc. Bryce Brown and Jared Harper can both sink reliably from distance, shooting at least 41 percent on the year. The big question is how Auburn will continue to adjust without Chuma Okeke, the best forward that the Tigers have. Anfernee McLemore and Danjel Purifoy filled in nicely for him, combining for 62 minutes in the win over Kentucky. It helped that Kentucky clanked 16 of their 21 shots from behind the arc — a low number that Virginia will not match, given their skills from distance. Against Kentucky, Harper scored 26 points, making all 11 of his free throws, while Brown added 24, shooting 8 for 12 for the game and knocking down four three-balls. Purifoy put up six points and led the Tigers with six rebounds. Auburn’s offense typically moves fast, averaging 80.2 points per game, but they are about to encounter a Virginia defense that slows the game down dramatically, draining the shot clock with each possession and making each shot count. Can Auburn deal with the pedestrian pace?

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

Auburn is riding a hot hand, but Virginia has been playing solid ball all year long. They have lost just three games: twice to Duke in the ACC regular season slate and then to Florida State in the semifinals of the ACC tournament. While you could argue that Virginia has yet to play a complete game, they have survived test after test so far, and I see their defense clamping down on Auburn. But will they win by 5 ½ points? I’m not so sure. Final Score Prediction: Virginia 60, Auburn 57
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