College Basketball Picks Today: Texas A&M Looks to Avoid Five-Game Slide

Tuesday night’s games feature a few blockbuster matchups: Rutgers versus No. 18 Purdue and No. 1 Auburn versus No. 22 Texas A&M.

After a marvelous season thus far, the Aggies have unfortunately dropped four consecutive games and will have the challenging task of knocking off the top-ranked Tigers at home.

Additionally, the Boilermakers shook off a four-game slide and can continue to build on their double-digit win over UCLA in this Big Ten bout against Rutgers.

Keep reading for our projections and best college basketball picks for these two conference matchups!

Rutgers @ No. 18 Purdue Odds

Find the latest odds for the Rutgers vs Purdue NCAAM matchup in the table below. Click the odds and bet on your favorites at some of the best sportsbooks available today!

PICK: Purdue -10.5 (-110) at FanDuel

The first time these teams played, Purdue shot merely 4-for-24 from 3-point range, yet the Boilers still pulled out a nearly 20-point road victory.

Braden Smith caused many problems for Rutgers’s guards, and I expect a similar story to play out on Tuesday.

Ultimately, the Boilers’ top-ten offense should have its way with one of the worst defensive units in the conference.

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Rutgers Prediction

Rutgers nearly snuck away with a road win at Michigan but was beaten at the buzzer; it would have been the Scarlet Knights’ third consecutive win.

While Rutgers will likely be safe from dropping into the bottom three spots in the Big Ten standings and thus missing the conference tournament, it will not want to leave anything to chance.

In their recent three-game stretch, the Scarlet Knights have shot 49% from the field and 42% from 3-point range. Anything can happen with Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey healthy and firing on all cylinders.

Purdue Prediction

After a four-game slide, the Purdue Boilermakers got back on track with a double-digit home win over UCLA, who had recently played fantastic basketball.

The Boilers struggled on the glass in their last game against UCLA. Still, they won the turnover margin, committing only nine turnovers against one of the peskiest and most physical on-ball defensive teams nationally.

Braden Smith also returned to form, pouring in 23 points and dishing out eight assists, while Trey Kaufman-Renn finished with an efficient 29 points against the Bruins.

No. 1 Auburn @ No. 22 Texas A&M Odds

Find the latest odds for the Auburn vs Texas A&M NCAAM matchup in the table below. Click the odds and bet on your favorites at some of the best sportsbooks available today!

PICK: Texas A&M +5.5 (-110) at FanDuel

The only teams capable of challenging the Tigers are those with elite defenses, such as Florida and Duke. 

Luckily for the Aggies, they fall into that category, ranking eighth in adjusted defensive efficiency this season.

While A&M has dropped four consecutive games, it has much more to play for and has been a force on its home floor this season.

Further, the constant pressure the Aggies apply on the offensive glass could be enough to keep them close.

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Auburn Prediction

With Alabama’s road loss to Tennessee, the Auburn Tigers have officially locked in the SEC regular season title.

Since the Tigers have locked in the regular season championship and will have the top seed in the SEC Tournament, they won’t have much to play for; however, championship-caliber teams typically don’t let up under any circumstances.

Auburn has been an absolute force on the offensive end of the floor, ranking first in adjusted offensive efficiency (KenPom). 

In fact, the Tigers’ only two losses this season came against Florida and Duke, two top-seven defenses nationally.

Texas A&M Prediction

Texas A&M has played the fourth-hardest schedule, per KenPom’s strength of schedule rating, yet has amassed a 20-9 record to this point. That’s pretty impressive.

The Aggies have a top-ten defense nationally and rank 27th in opponent points per game and sixth in opponent field goal percentage on their home floor.

Offensively, the Aggies have been inefficient, shooting just over 40% from the field (309th in the country) and 30% from 3-point range (328th) in the season; however, they have been phenomenal in racking up second-chance points on the offensive glass (second in OREB%).

Still, Texas A&M has dropped four consecutive games and must turn things around ahead of the SEC and NCAA Tournaments.