The Connecticut Huskies have long been one of the better college basketball programs in the country, but is struggling to a slow start in non-conference play. The margin for error is razor thin as they try to bounce back and make an NCAA Tournament push, so a win against the Auburn Tigers is essential.
Auburn has the much shinier record but has built it against mostly inferior competition, so this will be a good test. The Huskies badly need to string some wins together and this is an imperative one to get. Keep an eye on the spread as it could be small for either team.
This war on the floor will go down Friday, December 23, 2016, at 1 p.m. ET at the XL Center. The game will be televised live on ESPN2.
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Odds at BookMaker.eu
Auburn is 8-2 straight up and 5-3 against the spread. The Tigers have only played one road game and has covered that attempt. Auburn is 3-2 against the spread as the favorite and 2-1 attempting to cover as the underdog.
Connecticut is 5-5 straight up and 2-5 against the spread. The Huskies failed to cover in their one home game with a spread and are 0-3 against the spread as the favorite.
Key Stat
13.8. That’s how many more points per game Auburn is averaging when compared to Connecticut. The Tigers offense is led by freshmen Danjel Purifoy and Mustapha Heron who combine for 32.6 points a game.
Auburn scored a season-high 117 points against Coastal Carolina on December 15th, marking the first time this year, the Tigers scored more than 100 points in a game. Auburn comes into this matchup off a win over Mercer where Tigers squeaked out a 76-74 victory at home.
Connecticut is only averaging 67.9 points per contest and doesn’t mind a slow pace. The two teams shoot the same percentage from the field so it is a tempo difference, and one which both teams will aim to control in this matchup.
Player to Watch
Jalen Adams – The Connecticut guard is a big part of the Huskies offense this year. He is averaging a team-high 17.4 points a game and also leads Connecticut in assists with 5.8 a game.
The sophomore put up a career-high 34 points in the loss to Oklahoma State on November 21st and also scored 25 points against Chaminade and 27 points against Oregon last month. His performance against Chaminade at the Maui Invitational was nearly a triple double as his high scoring was accompanied by nine rebounds and 11 assists.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Connecticut has faced a tough non-conference schedule, with a win over Syracuse the highlight. The Huskies have lost games to Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Oregon and Ohio State, among others.
This is an interesting matchup as UConn traditionally is a March Madness shoo-in but needs to pick it up. The Huskies have been in plenty of close matchups but have come in on the wrong side of most of them.
Auburn isn’t known as a basketball power and has mostly built up its nice record against small-conference foes. This would be a defining win for the Tigers before conference play, but the road disadvantage should be too much to overcome.
Don’t pay too much attention to the records in this one. Even though UConn has struggled this year, it has enough talent to pick up the win. The Huskies’ NCAA tournament viability will be determined in conference play, but they need to enter playing well. Connecticut can capture this one to get over .500 and hopefully start a strong run in the second half of the schedule.
College Basketball Odds: Connecticut 71, Auburn 68
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