The top-ranked Houston Cougars and No. 22 Auburn Tigers meet in the Battleground 2k25 this afternoon. The game is technically a neutral site contest, but it takes place a two-hour drive from Auburn’s campus in Birmingham.
The two teams met in Houston last year, and No. 11 Auburn overcame travel woes to upset the No. 4 Cougars. This year, both teams are 3-0 against low-level competition.
Houston’s pace and suffocating defense should help the Cougars impose their will in the rematch. So, my Houston vs. Auburn predictions and college basketball picks feature a Houston cover.
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Houston vs Auburn prediction
Houston vs Auburn best bet: Houston -8.5 (-110)
Slow it down and choke you out. That’s been the approach Kelvin Sampson has taken when building this Houston Cougars program. It’s worked well the last few seasons, with five straight trips to the Sweet 16, including a pair of Final Fours over that span.
Nothing has changed this season, as the Cougars have used that approach to dominate games against Lehigh, Towson, and Oakland, winning by an average of 22.7 points and holding two of the three foes below 50 points.
However, the level of competition has been low. The three games are all Quad III or IV matchups, according to the NCAA selection committee. Two of three had losing records last year and are each 1-3 so far this season.
The Cougars return three key players from last year’s run to the national title game — Emanuel Sharp, a 40% 3-point shooter who was second on last year’s team in scoring, Milos Uzan, who shot 43% from outside and was the Cougars’ third-leading scorer last year, and Joseph Tugler, last year’s team leader in blocks.
That level of continuity is rare in the transfer portal era and helps make Sampson’s defensive scheme even more lethal early in the season.
The Auburn Tigers, meanwhile, have made wholesale changes. Guard Tahaad Pettiford, who started one game last year, is the only returning rotation player. Now a starter, he’s currently fifth on this year’s team in scoring.
The Tigers also went through a change at the top, with national coach of the year Bruce Pearl turning the squad over to his son Steven. The Tigers had a scare in their opener when Bethune-Cookman took them to overtime. The Tigers have posted a pair of lopsided wins over Merrimack and Wofford since then and are 3-0 against Quad IV opposition so far.
Both teams have talent, but Houston has experience playing together. That, coupled with Sampson’s defense and a desire to wash away thoughts of last fall’s upset, should be enough to put the Cougars over the spread.
Houston vs Auburn same-game parlay
Houston is No. 1 in the nation in defensive efficiency and ranks 363rd out of 365 teams in tempo. The Cougars have blown out opponents while not scoring more than 78. By comparison, Houston scored 97, 91, and 80 in its three season-opening wins last season. So the pace has gone to new depths for the Cougars.
The player props markets expect Houston to shut down Auburn's leading scorer Keyshawn Hall. He’s scored 20+ points in all three games and is averaging 24.3, but his total is set at 15.5. We’re staying away from that and looking at Tahaad Pettiford. There should be plenty of missed shots available for rebounding, and he’s pulled down four in each of the last two games.
Houston vs Auburn SGP
- Houston -8.5
- Under 139.5
- Tahaad Pettiford Over 2.5 rebounds
Our beyond the arc SGP: Bad shots sometimes go in
Houston’s defense keeps you from doing what you want to do. That means rushed decisions and bad shots. Towson took more threes than twos against the Cougars, going juyst 8-for-32 from long range. Oakland also took more than 30 treys and made fewer than 10.
Hall will be the focus of the Houston defense and will likely have a rough evening, but that doesn’t mean he won’t force some shots from outside. And, ill-advised or not, he’s a 38% shooter from three and has made six of eight this season. A couple of those will fall.
Houston vs Auburn SGP
- Houston -8.5
- Under 139.5
- Tahaad Pettiford Over 2.5 rebounds
- Keyshawn Hall Over 1.5 threes
Houston vs Auburn odds
- Spread: Houston -8.5 | Auburn +8.5
- Moneyline: Houston -340 | Auburn +270
- Over/Under: Over 139.5 | Under 139.5
Houston vs Auburn betting trend to know
Houston has cashed the Under in 25 of its last 40 games. Find more college basketball betting trends for Houston vs. Auburn.
How to watch Houston vs Auburn
| Location | Legacy Arena at BJCC, Birmingham, AL |
| Date | Sunday, November 16, 2025 |
| Tip-off | 3:00 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN |
Houston vs Auburn key injuries
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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