Pedro Oliveira
The Tigers began the season being looked down upon by most of the media, only to become one of the most dominant teams throughout the season in the entire NCAA. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks qualified “rebound” by being Bellarmine, the winning university of their conference, ineligible for March Madness until 2025.
Picks and Predictions for the Auburn Tigers vs Jacksonville State Gamecocks NCAA Basketball Championship Round 1 Game on March 18 2022
- Where: Bon Secours Wellness Arena – Greenville, South Carolina
- When: Friday, March 18, 12:40 PM ET
- Betting Line: Auburn Tigers (-16.5) vs Jacksonville State Gamecocks (+16.5)
Auburn Tigers Betting Preview
- Overall Record: 27-5
- Conference Record: 15-3
- Spread: -16.5
- Over/Under: Under 138.5
- Moneyline: -2000
Established as one of the most defensively solid squads in all of college basketball, they are also among the elite teams in the art of getting rebounds and attacking the board. This team will go as far as the duo of Jabari Smith (17.1 points, 7 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1 block) and Walker Kessler (11.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.5 blocks) allow, being among the best prepared prospects in the tournament.
The Tigers’ great weakness comes in two forms: their defense on the perimeter, specifically against three-pointers, is quite lacking. And they are among the worst teams in free throw effectiveness. Keeping them in the line of penance is a very feasible strategy against them.
Jacksonville State Gamecocks Betting Preview
- Overall Record: 21-10
- Conference Record: 13-3
- Spread: +16.5
- Over/Under: Over 138.5
- Moneyline: +1000
In what is their second historic appearance at March Madness, the team led by Ray Harper reached the point of triples and will try to advance with the shot from distance as their main weapon. With 9.3 three-pointers per game and a 38.2% ERA, they are among the top five teams nationwide (Darian Adams, by far their best player with 15.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals plus 38.5 percent era on three-pointers).
That’s basically their strong point, because in the other areas they are a regular team. And when this weapon doesn’t work, the Gamecocks collapse on offense very easily. In addition to this, they have one of the worst percentages on free throws against them for some reason. Limiting Auburn on the board and looking for ways to consistently do damage from distance and at the free line is the key to this encounter for Jacksonville State.
JefeBet Prediction
The Gamecocks’ incredible reliance on their three-pointer is too vulnerable for a team of Tigers caliber not to be able to take advantage of it, even if they’re not the best at doing it statistically. Auburn should pass without many complications, a score of 82 to 71 is more than possible in favor of the second seed.
