The Creighton Bluejays take on the Auburn Tigers in the NCAA Tournament. Tip-off is set for 7:10 p.m. ET on TBS/truTV.
Auburn is favored by 8.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -400. The total is set at 149.5 points.
Here are my Creighton vs. Auburn predictions and college basketball picks for March 22, 2025.
Creighton vs Auburn Prediction
My Pick: Creighton +9 or Better
My Creighton vs Auburn best bet is on Creighton to cover the spread, with the best odds currently available at DraftKings. For all of your college basketball bets, find the best lines using our live NCAAB odds page.
Creighton vs Auburn Odds, Lines
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- Creighton vs Auburn spread: Auburn -8.5
- Creighton vs Auburn over/under: 149.5 points
- Creighton vs Auburn moneyline: Auburn -400, Creighton +320
- Creighton vs Auburn best bet: Creighton +9 or Better
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My Creighton vs Auburn NCAAB Betting Preview
One of the beautiful things about the NCAA Tournament, and college basketball in general, is the clash of styles.
The depth of teams in Division I creates so many opportunities for different ways to be successful. We see slow teams, fast teams, teams that score inside, teams that launch the 3s, teams that attack the offensive glass and teams that ignore it. All of these can be successful in college hoops and win in March.
Top-seeded Auburn‘s second-round matchup offers an exciting clash of styles, mainly when the Tigers are on the defensive end of the floor.
Auburn will face Creighton, which handily dispatched Louisville in Thursday’s first game of action.
When the Bluejays have the ball, they’re focused on two ways to score: at the rim or from beyond the 3-point arc. Creighton ranks second nationally in 2-point shooting, largely thanks to ignoring the mid-range jump shot in favor of attacking the paint for layups, dunks and kick outs to the arc.
The Bluejays took 48.8% of their field goals from long range, the 11th-highest mark nationally and the highest among teams remaining in the field.
Auburn’s defensive approach is directly the opposite.
The Tigers allow their opponents to attempt just 34.9% of their field goals from long range, the 53rd-lowest nationally. Even more critically, Auburn’s opponents shot just 29% from deep this season.
By the time we’ve reached March, that’s less of a sample size issue due for regression and more a reflection on the types of 3s Auburn is conceding.
It’s like a two-way game of rocks-paper-scissors. Creighton might keep hunting 3s that just aren’t going to be available, forcing bad looks or the Bluejays might just be so relentless in their pursuit of the long ball that they find a way to get their shots up.
Auburn has had mixed results against other 3-point-obsessed teams. It split two meetings with rival Alabama but lost the game where Alabama took just 22 3s in an overtime game.
Physicality is one of Auburn’s tactics to keep teams off the 3-point line. Only 11 teams in the country allowed opponents to score more points from the free throw stripe. Creighton, meanwhile, barely ever attempts foul shots, ranking outside the top 300 in free throw rate.
That makes the whistle in this game extremely critical. If the officials quickly quell Auburn’s physicality, Creighton will have a much easier go offensively. But Creighton might get bullied around the court if the refs let the Tigers play.
Ultimately, while that side of the ball will be more interesting to watch, the other end of the court may decide the game.
Creighton employs a similar philosophy, valuing the 3-point line and forcing opponents to drive into the drop coverage of four-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year Ryan Kalkbrenner.
Auburn should be able to handle that, with plenty of adept playmakers, including Johni Broome as the roller in pick-and-roll actions.
Auburn, however, hasn’t played its best basketball of late, losing three of its last four SEC games. If the Tigers return to their pre-March form, they should handle business here.
But if they play the way we’ve seen this month, I would be more inclined to expect an Auburn win but a Creighton cover at this number.
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