While the NCAA Tournament gets ready for its Round of 4 in Indianapolis, the NIT begins its own up the road at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Illinois State, a No. 4 seed out of the Missouri Valley Conference, takes on No. 1 seed Auburn, an SEC squad that was among the last teams to miss the NCAA Tournament.
The winner of this 9:30 p.m. ET contest on ESPN on Thursday advances to the NIT Final on Sunday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in downtown Indy.
Below, we’ll break down our Illinois-Auburn prediction on the spread for Thursday’s game. Make your college basketball picks on PrizePicks and earn real money if you’re right, including on game winners, spreads, and totals!
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Illinois State vs. Auburn Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
Illinois State started the season 12-3 and 4-0 in the MVC before losing eight of the next 14 games. The Redbirds entered the conference tournament as the No. 3 seed but lost their first game to No. 6 Northern Iowa, who went on to win the event.
As a regional No. 4 seed in the NIT’s 32-team bracket, the Redbirds knocked off Kent State from the MAC, then upset No. 1 seed Wake Forest and No. 2 seed Dayton — both on the road — to earn a trip to Indianapolis. This is the Redbirds' 15th NIT (they also have six NCAA Tournament appearances) and first time in the semis.
Illinois State won the CBI postseason tournament last year.
A year after winning the SEC regular-season title and advancing to the school’s second Round of 4 in the NCAA Tournament, the Tigers missed the tourney for the first time since 2021. Under first-year coach Steve Pearl, Auburn was one of the last teams left out.
The Tigers finished non-conference play 9-4 with a win over 14th-ranked St. John’s and four losses to top-10 teams Houston, Michigan, Arizona, and Purdue, all of whom earned top-2 seeds in the NCAA Tournament.
However, the Tigers went just 7-11 in SEC play, which included a win at 16th-ranked Florida but also losses in eight of the last 10 regular-season games and in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament.
As a No. 1 seed in the NIT, the Tigers hosted and beat South Alabama, Seattle, and Nevada. This is the Tigers’ seventh NIT appearance and first trip to the semifinals.
Illinois State vs. Auburn Spread, Over/Under
Auburn enters Thursday’s NIT Round of 4 game as 7.5-point favorites, returning a 1.29x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
UConn is the underdog, with a 3.33x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks, where you can earn money with your picks in 35 states.
- Spread: Auburn -7.5 (1.92x payout)
- Over/Under: 149.5 (1.92 payout on over)
- Game Winner Payout: Illinois State 3.33x | Auburn 1.29x
Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
Illinois State vs. Auburn Prediction on Spread – 4/2/26
Here are the key stats to know before locking in your NIT Tournament Illinois State vs. Auburn college basketball prediction on the spread for Thursday, April 2, on PrizePicks.
- Illinois State is 20-14 against the spread, tops in the Missouri Valley Conference. That includes covering all three NIT games.
- The Redbirds are 7-5 as an underdog, covering and winning outright the last two NIT games as 7.5 and 8.5-pointsunderdogs.
- The Redbirds have won with defense, holding opponents to 67.9 points per game, 39th in the nation and second in the MVC. In three NIT games, they've limited two of three opponents to under 60 points.
- Per KenPom, Illinois State’s defense is ranked 61st in the country, which is third among MVC teams.
- Auburn is 14-22 ATS, second-worst in the SEC and bottom-30 in the nation.
- It’s not much better as a favorite, as the Tigers are 10-15 ATS when laying points. When favored by six or more, Auburn is 6-9 on the season and 2-7 ATS from the beginning of conference play.
- The Tigers' biggest issue has been their defense, which cedes 78.9 PPG (312th nationally).
- Auburn grades out 40th in the country on KenPom, including an offensive rating of 125.0 (12th) and a defensive rating of 106.6 (118th).
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Make Illinois State vs. Auburn Picks on PrizePicks
Can Illinois State continue its run through the NIT and move one step closer to winning a postseason championship for the second straight year, or will Auburn notch another win towards proving the committee wrong?
You can make your Illinois State vs. Auburn picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks to earn real money. Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you’re correct. With Team Picks, make predictions on winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 35 states.
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