Tulsa vs Auburn Prediction 4/5/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane and the Auburn Tigers meet Sunday in NIT Championship Game college basketball action from Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Here’s a Tulsa vs Auburn prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Tulsa vs Auburn pick. We will examine the recent form and player performances for both teams, as well as the recent betting trends and streaks pertaining to this matchup. As we conclude, we will tie it all together with a summary that produces a sensible pick for a favorable betting outcome in this game.

Tulsa Golden Hurricane Betting Preview

The Hurricane got through the first 23 outings of the season with a pretty nice 20-3 overall record, then took three straight losses to South Florida, UAB and Wichita State. After wins over Charlotte, UTSA, Tulane, East Carolina, Temple and North Texas was a conference tourney loss to Wichita State. In the NIT so far Tulsa has beaten Stephen F. Austin, UNLV, Wichita State and New Mexico for a 30-7 run.

In the New Mexico game back on Thursday the Golden Hurricane came back out onto the floor in the second half with a seven-point edge 36-29. Tulsa was outscored by two 40-38 the rest of the way but still managed to hang on for the win 74-69 to move on in the tournament. Tops in scoring for the team was David Green with his 13 points, five boards and two assists alongside a pair of blocks.

Auburn Tigers Betting Preview

Over on the Auburn side, they were 14-7 over their first 21 games by late January. Losses to Tennessee, Alabama, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss and Alabama came as the regular season concluded, then a win over Mississippi State and a loss to Tennessee in the conference tournament. That was followed by NIT wins over South Alabama, Seattle U, Nevada and Illinois State.

Matched up against Illinois State in their Thursday semifinal NIT game, the Tigers were sitting in the locker room at the break with a healthy lead 51-38. Auburn cruised the rest of the way and held the Redbirds at bay on a 37-28 run on the way to an 88-66 victory. Keyshawn Hall led the scoring with 24 points, six boards, three assists and two steals while Kevin Overton added 16 points.

Tulsa Golden Hurricane @ Auburn Tigers Betting Trends: April 5, 2026

Why the Auburn Tigers will win

• Auburn has won 16 of its last 17 games against non-AP-ranked opponents at a neutral venue.
• Tulsa has lost the first half in three of its last four games against the Southeastern Conference.

Why the Tulsa Golden Hurricane will win

• Tulsa has won 17 of its last 18 games against non-Conference opponents.

Total Points Facts

• Each of Tulsa’s last 14 Sunday games against non-Conference opponents have produced a total of 159 or fewer points.
• Twenty-two of Auburn’s last 24 night games at a neutral venue have produced a total of 158 or fewer points.

Matchup/League Facts

• Auburn ranks 357th among Division 1 teams for opponent blocks per game this season (4.5).
• Auburn ranks 24th among Division 1 teams for offensive rating this season (120.6).
• Tulsa ranks 14th among Division 1 teams for true shooting percentage this season (60.7%).
• Tulsa ranks 16th among Division 1 teams for points per game this season (85.1).

Tulsa vs Auburn Prediction

I have to stay with Auburn in this one. The Tigers made pretty short work of a sloppy Illinois State team in their last matchup on Thursday, scoring 26 points off 17 Redbirds turnovers. Auburn added a 38-24 advantage on points in the paint with a red-hot 60.7 percent shooting from the field and 57.1 percent (12-of-21) from 3-point range. The Tigers have been pretty solid overall during this NIT run; they’ve got a couple of six-point wins (versus Seattle U 91-85 and Nevada 75-69) and two double-digit victories (78-67 over South Alabama and 88-66 against Illinois State) in the bag.

As for Tulsa, they shot a fairly tepid 41.4 percent from the field in their win over New Mexico and had 13 turnovers alongside a 28-22 deficit on points in the paint. The Hurricane did hold the Lobos to just 35.3 percent shooting on defense, though. Tulsa has scored 74 or more points in all four games during this NIT run, but they’ve also given up 69 or more points in three of those. The Hurricane need to get that shooting percentage elevated in this one; I don’t think they’ll be able to outscore Auburn in the paint.

Andrew Jett's Pick: Auburn Tigers -5.5