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In the Midwest region's No. 8 vs. No. 9 seed matchup, Auburn will face Iowa.
It has been somewhat of a down year for each of these prestigious college basketball programs, but neither can be ruled out from making a splash.
Auburn will be seeking revenge after being upset by Miami in the second round of last year's NCAA Tournament, despite entering as a No. 2 seed. The team has not been able to replicate the same success this season. The Tigers (20-12) went just 10-8 in conference play and finished the year by going just 4-9 in their last 13.
They have a well-balanced offensive attack which includes four players averaging double-figures. Sophomore forward Johni Broome leads the way with 14.0 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Auburn ranks 155th in the country in scoring by averaging 72.7 ppg but allows just 67.1 ppg, which is the 91st-best rate.
Iowa (19-13) is a high-paced team averaging 80.2 ppg, which is the 18th-best rate in college basketball. They would much prefer to get into a shootout as they have allowed 74.4 ppg, which ranks 302nd.
Iowa is headlined by Kris Murray. The 6-foot-8 forward stepped in as the leading scorer after his twin brother, Keegan Murray, was drafted by the Sacramento Kings following last season. Murray has averaged 20.4 ppg and 7.9 rpg and is at the heart of everything the Hawkeyes do offensively.
Prediction for Iowa vs Auburn
Both teams have struggled with consistency throughout the season. They are two of the more volatile teams across college basketball with a significant gap in the level of play from when they are at their best versus their worst.
Auburn is favored by 1.5 points with the over/under set at 151.5. While this is a high line for the scoring total, the over is a safer play based on expectations as both these teams are capable of getting hot.
Expect Iowa to do its best to increase the pace and control the style of play. The Hawkeyes can be counted on to pull off a small upset and move on to face top-seeded Houston in the second round. Auburn does not have an impressive enough defense to slow them down and will not be capable of keeping up with them offensively.
