The No. 1 seed Houston Cougars square off with the No. 9 seed Auburn Tigers in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament at 7:10 p.m. ET on Saturday. Houston is favored by 5 points at Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under is set at 132 (see up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page). 

Before making any Auburn vs. Houston picks, you NEED to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters the 2023 NCAA Tournament 79-53 on all-top rated college basketball picks this season, returning nearly $1,300 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen HUGE returns!

The model knows Auburn has four players averaging in double figures this season. The Tigers are led by veteran big man Johni Broome, who put up 19 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks in the first round win over Iowa. Auburn is also securing almost 33% of available offensive rebounds and averaging 20.8 free throw attempts per game. The model also knows Houston is elite on defense. The Cougars are in the top four of the country in points allowed per game and points allowed per possession, with Houston leading the nation with 36.1% field goal percentage allowed. Houston also leads the country with a 16.3% block rate this season. 

Now, it has set its sights on Auburn vs. Houston. We can tell you the model is leaning Over on the point total, and it also says one side of the spread hits in almost 70% of simulations! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any college basketball picks.

Who wins Auburn vs. Houston? And which side of the spread hits in almost 70% of simulations? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the Auburn vs. Houston spread you should be all over Saturday, all from the model on a roll on college basketball picks!