While the NCAA Tournament gets ready for its national championship in Indianapolis on Monday, the NIT is set for its own title game up the road in Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Tulsa, a No. 1 seed out of the American Conference, takes on No. 1 seed Auburn, an SEC team that was among the last teams to miss the NCAA Tournament.
The Golden Hurricane are no stranger to NIT success, going for their third NIT title, while Auburn is in the finals for the first time. Tip time from downtown Indianapolis is 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Below, we’ll break down our Tulsa vs. Auburn prediction on the spread for Sunday’s game. Make your NCAA Tournament picks on PrizePicks and earn real money if you’re right, including on game winners, spreads, and totals!
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Tulsa vs. Auburn Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
Tulsa began the season 20-3 and 8-2 in the American Conference before losing three straight conference games. The Golden Hurricane finished the regular season with five straight wins and entered the conference tournament as the No. 3 seed but lost in the semifinals to No. 2 seed Wichita State.
It would get revenge on the Shockers, beating them in the NIT quarterfinals, followed by knocking off New Mexico in the semifinals. Sunday marks the third trip to the NIT finals for the Golden Hurricane, who won it all in 1981 and 2001. They also won the inaugural CBI postseason tournament in 2008.
A year removed from winning the SEC regular-season title and advancing to the school’s second Round of 4 in the NCAA Tournament, the Tigers missed the tournament for the first time since 2021. Under first-year coach Steve Pearl, Auburn was one of the last teams left out of the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers finished non-conference play 9-4, with a win over then-No. 14 St. John’s and four losses to top-10 teams Houston, Michigan, Arizona, and Purdue — all of which earned a top-2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. However, the Tigers went 7-11 in SEC play. After finishing the regular season 2-8 paired with a loss in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament, Auburn's NCAA Tournament dreams were smashed.
As a No. 1 seed in the NIT, the Tigers hosted South Alabama, Seattle, and Nevada to advance to Indianapolis, where they beat Illinois State on Thursday by 22 points. This is the Auburn’s seventh NIT appearance and first trip to the title game.
Tulsa vs. Auburn Spread, Over/Under
Auburn enters Sunday’s NIT Championship as 5.5-point favorites, with a 1.4x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win.
Tulsa is the underdog, with a 2.85x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks, where you can earn money with your picks in 35 states.
- Spread: Auburn -5.5 (1.92x payout)
- Over/Under: 159.5 (1.81x payout on over)
- Game Winner Payout: Tulsa 2.85x | Auburn 1.4x
Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
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Tulsa vs. Auburn Prediction on Spread for NIT Championship – 4/5/26
Here are the key stats to know before locking in your NIT Tournament Tulsa vs. Auburn college basketball prediction on the spread for Sunday, April 5, on PrizePicks.
- Tulsa is 19-15-1 against the spread this season, second-best in the American Conference. That includes covering its last three NIT games.
- The Golden Hurricane are 5-2 as an underdog this season, including an outright win as a 2.5-point underdog in the NIT semifinals vs. New Mexico.
- This is a matchup of two of the more dynamic offenses in the country, as Tulsa scores 85.1 points per game (16th), while Auburn scores 82.8 PPG (40th).
- Per KenPom, Tulsa is ranked 55th in efficiency, with the offense 40th (120.5) and the defense ranked 125th (106.8).
- Auburn is 15-22 against the spread, second-worst in the SEC and bottom 30 nationally.
- The 22-point win in the semifinals vs. Illinois State was the Tigers' first cover of the NIT.
- It’s not much better as a favorite, as Auburn is 11-15 against the numbers when laying points.
- When favored by 6+ points, Auburn is 7-9 ATS on the season and 3-7 ATS since the beginning of conference play.
- The Tigers' defense remains a weakness, allowing 78.6 points per game (309th).
- Auburn is rated 37th in the country by KenPom, with a 125.5 offensive rating (10th) and a 106.4 defensive rating (113th).
Make Your Tulsa vs. Auburn Prediction on PrizePicks
Will Tulsa win another NIT title and knock off a team that played in the Round of 4 of the NCAA Tournament last season? Or will Auburn win the NIT title in hopes of proving the committee wrong for excluding the Tigers from the NCAA Tournament? The Tulsa-Auburn NIT title game begins at 8:00 p.m. on ESPN2.
You can make your Tulsa 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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