The Merrimack Warriors take on the Auburn Tigers in Auburn, AL. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET on SEC Network+.
Auburn is favored by -23.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -10000. The total is set at 145.5 points.
Here’s my Merrimack vs. Auburn prediction and college basketball picks for November 6, 2025.
Merrimack vs Auburn Prediction
My Pick: Auburn -23.5 (Play to -25)
My Merrimack vs Auburn best bet is on the Tigers to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Merrimack vs. Auburn Odds
| Merrimack Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+23.5 -102 | 145.5 -110o / -110u | +2500 |
| Auburn Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-23.5 -118 | 145.5 -110o / -110u | -10000 |
- Merrimack vs Auburn spread: Auburn -23.5
- Merrimack vs Auburn over/under: 145.5 points
- Merrimack vs Auburn moneyline: Merrimack +2500, Auburn -10000
Merrimack vs Auburn College Basketball Betting Preview
Merrimack Basketball
Merrimack lost its season-opening game to South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits scored a strong 1.07 PPP versus a typically dominant Merrimack defense. Since Merrimack lost a few of its best defenders from last season, it was a bit troubling to see the defense struggle.
The Warriors want to junk things up with their pressuring zone, and they forced only 14 turnovers in the opener. That's a good number for most teams, but Merrimack needs to be in the 20+ turnover range to have any chance to compete against Auburn.
From a height standpoint, this season's Merrimack squad is smaller than usual. You'll never see Joe Gallo trotting out a plodding big man who stands near the rim with their defensive style, but they have just one starter taller than 6-foot-5.
Todd Brogna, who profiles as a small-ball four, is playing a small-ball five role.
Merrimack attempted 29 3s compared to 27 2s in the opener. Since the Warriors lack a true post-option, shooting will be their half-court DNA. The issue is, I don't think Merrimack is a good shooting team. It'll just need a randomly hot night from deep to battle a much more talented squad.
Auburn Basketball
Auburn narrowly skated past potential disaster in Steven Pearl's head coaching debut. The Tigers went to overtime versus Bethune-Cookman, but they pulled out a 95-90 win.
The Tigers dealt with a mix of bad shooting (6-for-29 from 3) and lava-hot shooting on Bethune's side (12-for-22 from 3).
At that point, the opponent is almost irrelevant. With such drastic 3-point splits, that'll result in a close game.
Auburn bettors can breathe a sigh of relief that Merrimack has a much worse offense and less explosive guards than Bethune-Cookman.
The Tigers have a pair of potent scoring guards in Tahaad Pettiford and Keyshawn Hall. In his Auburn debut, Hall went for 28 points, and he can be a real mismatch with his size and ball-handling.
The guards will have a tough time driving against this Merrimack defense since it's their goal to take away penetration.
On the flip side, the Tigers could absolutely dominate on the glass. They have way more size with Filip Jovic and Elyjah Freeman in the starting five, and KeShawn Murphy and freshman stud Sebastian Williams-Adams coming off the bench.
Auburn's game plan needs to be simple. Feed Murphy, or even Hall, with post entries, and they'll either score or force the Merrimack offense to bite and dish to shooters.
I have minor concerns about the Tigers' defense. Hall isn't a good defender, but it'll matter more in league play than against Merrimack.
Auburn finished top-10 in defensive efficiency the last two years, but it lost three elite defenders in Dylan Cardwell, Denver Jones and Chad Baker-Mazara.
I won't pay too much attention to how easily Bethune-Cookman scored on Monday. That'll happen sometimes, and I doubt it carries over to Thursday.
Merrimack vs. Auburn Betting Analysis
I don't want to be the guy who says "Auburn will be motivated for this game" because it would be foolish to assume it isn't motivated for every game.
However, after an overtime battle to an inferior opponent, I'm sure the Tigers had a quick reality check. I expect a more engaged Auburn team compared to the one we saw on Monday.
I'll lay the number with the Tigers. I can't see Merrimack keeping it within 25 points without forcing an unreal amount of turnovers.
Auburn is unlikely to be a heavy turnover squad this year and the size advantage will be very noticeable.
My Pick: Auburn -23.5 (Play to -25)
