Bolstered Offenses Will Highlight Auburn Vs. Baylor

Auburn vs. Baylor, 9:00 ET

College Basketball had something like 10,000 games last night and it was glorious. Today is a lot lighter of a schedule, but that doesn't mean we can't sniff out a game or two to wet our beaks in. For this game in particular, I have a play on the total as I think this one should be a pretty exciting, high-scoring game. I'm going to take a look at the Auburn vs. Baylor game, arguably the most high-profile of any game on the schedule tonight.

Auburn saw a few mainstays in their rotation leave, but they have been replaced with a five-star freshman and a few transfers from, well, mostly unknown schools. Sometimes you can find a diamond in the rough. They added four or five transfers and I'd guess that one or two of them work out. Last year the team wasn't a really good shooting team but with their new point-guard, the aforementioned five-star freshman, Aden Holloway, they should get people into position for better shooting. Holloway by himself should be a good enough shooter to boost Auburn's scoring abilities. Auburn is able to rebound fairly well, at least offensively. Last season they kind of stunk when it came to defensive rebounding. In order for them to win this game they need to fight for the defensive rebounds and limit Baylor to just one shot. That isn't extremely likely to happen and the Tigers will need to shoot well to keep up with the Bears in this one.

BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA - MARCH 16: Head coach Bruce Pearl of the Auburn Tigers reacts against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Legacy Arena at the BJCC on March 16, 2023 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

Baylor is still just a few years removed from being the ultimate team in the NCAA tournament. Now they are still a talented team that will have really good players on both offense and defense. Sure,they lost some talent, but they reloaded with a couple of transfer players and three five or four-star freshmen that are coming in. The frontcourt will likely lead the Bears for the first few weeks of the season as that is where most of the experience comes from. The backcourt leads a bit of question and has a challenge as they need to stop Holloway tonight. To do that, they are probably turning to one of their transfer portal kids, RayJ Dennis. He was the MAC Player of the Year last season. He can do a bit of it all - pass, shoot, and defend. He's talented enough to have an immediate impact on the offense and create shots for his teammates. With most of the frontcourt coming back, the Bears should be able to replicate the successful offensive rebounding they had last season.

This is a game that Baylor should win without much issue. But, I think the best play here is to take the over in the game. Baylor will be able to get a lot of second chance opportunities and the Tigers are going to score from the outside with more effectiveness than last season. I am excited to see Dennis and Holloway go head-to-head tonight as well. I think both will increase the offensive efficiency for their teams. Take the over tonight.