Vermont vs. Auburn prediction: College basketball picks odds, best bets

Fresh disconnected a large upset triumph complete nan UAB Blazers connected Monday, nan Vermont Catamounts recreation to Auburn, Alabama, to sojourn Bruce Pearl and nan Auburn Tigers connected Wednesday. 

The Tigers are considered among nan league’s apical college basketball teams.

The astonishing return of fifth-year halfway Johni Broome has transformed nan team’s outlook.

However, nan Catamounts are nary joke.

John Becker is an fantabulous caput coach who’s led Vermont to 8 consecutive America East regular-season titles. 

Read connected for my Vermont vs Auburn predictions and assemblage hoops picks for Nov. 6’s matchup. 

Vermont vs. Auburn odds

Vermont vs. Auburn prediction

(8 p.m. ET, SEC Network+)

Broome is among nan nation’s champion interior defenders, blocking 2.2 shots per crippled past twelvemonth while deterring each changeable adjacent nan painted area.

He’s nan superior logic Auburn led each D-I assemblage hoops teams successful 2-point shooting allowed successful 2023-24 (43%).

Broome’s monstrous interior beingness allows for much fierce perimeter defense.

The Tiger guards cognize that Broome will cleanable up their mistakes, truthful they unit opposing ball-handlers and – of circumstantial value to this matchup – tally opposing shooters disconnected nan 3-point line. 

Auburn classed top-50 nationally successful 3-point complaint allowed and low-quality 3s forced past season.

That bodes good successful this matchup pinch Vermont’s perimeter-oriented five-out dispersed discourtesy that consistently ranks adjacent nan nation’s apical successful 3-point attempts per game. 

Suffice it to opportunity I don’t expect nan Catamounts to make galore unfastened looks from deep. 

Last season, Vermont’s discourtesy was a small excessively one-dimensional and overly reliant connected spot-up shooting, which resulted successful excessively galore prolonged draughts of old offense.

While nan Catamounts brought successful Howard transportation Shy Odom from nan portal to thief create immoderate much accordant interior discourtesy and lick nan one-dimensional issue, he’s presently sidelined pinch an ankle injury. 

Therefore, I don’t expect nan Catamounts to people much.

The astir effective measurement to hit Auburn’s defense is by drafting fouls and earning second-chance points connected violative rebounds — Broome and Co. often waste retired for blocks and time off nan weak-side boards open.

Vermont Catamounts caput coach John Becker. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

Still, Vermont’s blimpish five-out onslaught won’t utilization either vulnerability — nan Catamounts will effort to hit Auburn pinch shooting, and it won’t work. 

However, Vermont boasts an elite defense spearheaded by Shamir Bogues astatine constituent defender and Ileri Ayo-Faleye astatine center. 

Bogues is simply a swarming point-of-attack defender who should limit Auburn constituent defender JP Pegues successful ball-screens.

Ayo-Faleye is simply a mobile, versatile, bouncy interior defender who tin limit Broome successful nan post. 

Of greater significance, Vermont boasts a ascendant transition-denial defense.

The Catamounts’ dispersed discourtesy makes it easy for guys to get backmost connected defense earlier opponents statesman moving nan unfastened floor, and their consistently dependable ball-handling limits fast-break opportunities — they classed 4th nationally successful fast-break points per crippled allowed past play (six). 

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Auburn loves turning defense into discourtesy by creating modulation opportunities retired of turnovers.

While Auburn’s fierce perimeter defense should title each Vermont 3-point shot, nan Tigers apt won’t unit galore turnovers aliases make galore modulation opportunities against nan Catamounts’ dependable ball-handlers and transition-denial defenders. 

Vermont vs. Auburn pick

While I don’t expect Vermont to people overmuch connected Wednesday successful a bad violative matchup, I deliberation nan Catamounts tin support Auburn from moving distant successful a coagulated protect matchup. 

Also, it’s worthy asking if nan Tigers are looking up to a monster non-conference opportunity against Houston connected Saturday.

They could sleepwalk done half of this game.

Ultimately, I’m banking connected an ugly, low-scoring 40 minutes. 

Best Bet: Under 143 (-108, DraftKings)

Why Trust New York Post Betting

Tanner McGrath has been a master sports handicapper since 2018. Specializing successful assemblage sports and baseball, he’s a diehard instrumentality of nan Vermont Catamounts, nan Miami Marlins and immoderate location underdog. He recovered himself connected nan incorrect broadside of nan Miami Miracle successful 2018, but made up for it 4 years later by hitting a 40/1 agelong changeable connected Sandy Alcantara to triumph nan NL Cy Young.