Auburn vs Notre Dame Odds, Picks for Thursday

The first-round matchup between the Auburn Tigers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Legends Classic in Brooklyn should be a great measuring stick for both sides.

Auburn has its sights set on a deep NCAA tournament run in March, while Notre Dame is very much in rebuilding mode. It's a game that the Tigers should win handily, and the point spread reflects that.

Notre Dame would feel a lot better about its prospects heading into ACC play if it were to post a competitive result in a game like this, whereas Auburn would love to make a little bit of a statement with a dominant victory.

Here's Auburn vs Notre Dame odds and a pick, including a college basketball betting guide for Thursday, Nov. 16.

By modern standards, the roster construction on this Auburn team feels like a blast from the past. Five contributors from last season are back on campus, looking to build on last season's second-round NCAA tournament exit.

Add in some talent from the freshman class and the transfer portal, and there's real optimism at Auburn.

Freshman guard Aden Holloway is scoring 15 points per game in the early going and looks ready for primetime. Denver Jones dropped 20 per game last season at FIU. Finally, Chad Baker-Mazara is on his third collegiate stop, but is poised to pitch in this season.

The ceiling of this team will be determined by its shooting. Last year, Auburn was bad at the free-throw line and worse from beyond the arc. A lot of that came from departed point guard Wendell Green Jr. (sub-30% on 146 attempts last season), but no one in the Auburn rotation reliably knocked down shots last season.

So far this year, returns look better. Jones and Holloway could be difference makers in that regard, opening up more space offensively.

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Micah Shrewsberry is a good college basketball coach and was a good hire for Notre Dame. Neither of those things will stop this season from being an ugly one in South Bend.

The Irish rank 350th nationally in minutes continuity (via KenPom). It's an entirely new roster, ravaged by transfers and graduations.

So far, that's been apparent on the court. Notre Dame trailed Niagara by double-digits but survived. The Irish weren't so lucky in their second outing, losing a home game to Western Carolina.

Notre Dame now ranks 201st in KenPom with a long slog ahead. Shrewsberry is tossing out lineups full of unproven and young players, including his son Braeden.

If a sportsbook were offering a prop on a power conference team to go winless in conference play, the Irish might be the favorite.

This line opened at 14.5 and started rising quickly. I jumped on it quickly before it got too high.

Notre Dame is going to struggle and take its lumps this season. On any list of coaches you don't want to face with a young team ready to make mistakes, Bruce Pearl would appear prominently.

His Tigers will be the more athletic, more experienced and more talented side for all 40 minutes here. It's hard to see the Irish keeping it close, given their results against two low-majors at home to start the season.

A team that scored under 1.0 points per possession — with more turnovers than assists — against Western Carolina is in for a long day against Pearl's Auburn Tigers.

I like Auburn laying points here, even as this line climbs a bit more.

Pick: Auburn -16.5 or Better

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