Recent Play Details

FINNs MIDWEST 2ND RD TOP of the TICKET I -  Tigers vs Cougars Total Under 132.0 (-110)  |  over-under position on this matchup between the No 1 and No. 9 seeds is good to 130 points
3% game rating

Without a healthy Marcus Sasser, this Houston group will not be in a position to cut down the nets on the first Monday of April. Why Sasser was a part of the Round of 64 event on Thursday is beyond my comprehension and while he wasn't necessary for the Cougars to earn a victory in the opening round vs Northern Kentucky his health for today's second-round matchup against Auburn is.

I took a position Under the Total in the Auburn vs Iowa event and with 8:22 left in the first half of that R-64 contest there was a total of 28 points on the scoreboard.  Auburn and Iowa scored 101 points in the second half and in the final 8 minutes of the first stanza connected to record 29 points. The halftime score was 31-26 in favor of Auburn.

The final 28 minutes in the Auburn and Iowa affair was an aberration and not typical of Auburn in particular and even Iowas is a better defensive outfit than showed in the 101 points second half of what was eventually an Auburn win.

Today's matchup will be played in Birmingham, advantage Auburn.  

When Auburn squared off against quality competition, a foe that got the Tigers' juices flowing, game night was magical and defense was front and center for the program from Bama.

The Marcus Sasser situation is mission-critical for the Cougars. Sasser is the combustible that fuels the Houston engine.  In the SEC postseason title loss to Memphis, the Houston offense was stale and the team's defensive execution was lazy.  

Iowa didn't show up for the first-round contest against Auburn. Maybe it was because the SEC program had lost nine of 13 regular season matchups before the league's postseason tournament began. But count on the Tigers not competing today against one of the favorites with a target on their back but doing so in a passionate fashion with the game being played in Birmingham.

How Iowas pushed nearly 50 points to the scoreboard in the second half of their loss to Auburn on Thursday won't register. Considering that Auburn's aggressive defense held the Iowa offense to just 26 percent shooting from three, yet scored 49 points in 20 minutes needs to be presented to the Myth Busters for a roundball autopsy.

The calls will go Auburn's way today if for no other reason than the bias that the audience in Birmingham will present the officiating crew. The energy that the Tigers will have for this matchup will factor in on 50-50 balls and poor shot selection and lack of offensive execution by the Cougars.

Points come at a premium in this heavy and weighted defensive matchup. 

Tigers vs Cougars Total Under 132.0 (-110)