Tulsa vs. Auburn Prediction Odds, Key Player to Watch for NIT Championship Game

The Auburn Tigers missed the 2026 NCAA Tournament despite playing one of the toughest schedules in the country, and they’ve taken that snub into the NIT and dominated.

Auburn will play the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in the NIT Championship Game on Sunday night, and it’s favored by 5.5 points in that matchup.

The Tigers blew out Illinois State by 22 points on Thursday to advance to the title game, and they’ve won all of their NIT games by six or more points.

Meanwhile, Tulsa beat New Mexico by five points in the NIT semifinal and has put together a nice run after coming up short in the AAC Tournament.

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Can the Golden Hurricane pull off an upset on Sunday?

Here’s a look at the betting odds, a player to watch and my prediction for Sunday night’s matchup.

Tulsa vs. Auburn Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Tulsa +5.5 (-112)
Auburn -5.5 (-108)

Moneyline

Tulsa: +185
Auburn: -225

Total

160.5 (Over -108/Under -112)

Tulsa vs. Auburn How to Watch

Date: Sunday, April 5
Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Gainbridge Fieldhouse
How to Watch (TV): ESPN/ESPN Unlimited
Tulsa record: 30-7
Auburn record: 21-16

Tulsa vs. Auburn Key Player to Watch

Keyshawn Hall, Forward, Auburn

This season, Hall is averaging 19.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game to pace the Tigers, and he was huge in their NIT semifinal win over Illinois State.

Hall finished with 24 points, six rebounds and three dimes, and he’s had multiple games with 20-plus points in the tournament.

Auburn has one of the best offenses in the country (No. 10 in KenPom), and Hall’s size and scoring ability could make things tough on Tulsa in this title game.

Tulsa vs. Auburn Prediction and Pick

Both of these teams rank outside the top-100 in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom this season, but Auburn has rolled through the NIT after playing an extremely tough regular-season schedule.

Despite that, I think the Golden Hurricane are in play to cover on Sunday night.

Bart Torvik’s game prediction model tabs the Tigers as just 3.4-point favorites, and the Tigers’ defense has one fatal flaw that Tulsa can really exploit. Auburn ranks 344th in the country in opponent 3-point percentage, and that’s where the Golden Hurricane do their most damage.

Tulsa is fifth in the country in 3-point percentage and 36th in 3-point rate. So, it should be able to score against this Auburn defense.

Tulsa had just seven losses prior to the NIT, and only three of them came by more than five points. Two of those losses were to South Florida, which ended up making the NCAA Tournament after winning the AAC.

I’ll gladly take the points since Auburn has struggled on the defensive end all season long, even though it has handled inferior competition in the NIT.

Pick: Tulsa +5.5 (-112 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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