Midwest 5 seed Auburn goes for its 10th straight win when it plays 4-seed Kansas on Saturday in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Tipoff is at 9:40 p.m. ET from Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City.

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The Tigers held on to beat 12-seed New Mexico State, 78-77, on Thursday, while the Jayhawks destroyed 13-seed Northeastern by 24. Auburn and Kansas have only played once before, a two-point Auburn win in the 1985 NCAA Tournament second round. Coincidentally, bookmakers list the Tigers as two-point favorites in the latest Kansas vs. Auburn odds, while the over-under for total points scored is 148. Before you make any Kansas vs. Auburn picks, you'll want to see the 2019 NCAA Tournament predictions from Hammerin' Hank Goldberg, given the streak he's on.

Hammer, a legendary handicapper, is a sizzling 15-5 on college basketball spread picks this month. It's a stunning 75 percent cash rate that's returned nearly $1,000 to his followers. In the SEC Tournament final, Hammer told his followers to back Auburn (+5) without hesitation, saying the Tigers would severely disrupt Tennessee's offense. The result: Tennessee committed 17 turnovers, Auburn won by 20, and Hammer's followers never broke a sweat.

Now Hammer, who posted 15 winning seasons in his 17-year ESPN tenure, has analyzed Auburn vs. Kansas and released a confident against the spread pick. He's only sharing it at SportsLine.

Hammer knows Auburn averages 79.5 points and just drained 12 three-pointers in its first-round escape over New Mexico State. Point guard Jared Harper nailed four from long-distance, and he's one of three players averaging at least 12 points. The Tigers also are very feisty defensively, leading the SEC with nine steals per game, and they've covered five of their last seven contests.

But just because the Tigers are white-hot doesn't mean they'll cover the Kansas vs. Auburn spread on Saturday night and advance in the 2019 NCAA bracket.

The Jayhawks have won four of five and looked dominant against Northeastern. Junior forward Dedric Lawson posted 25 points and 11 rebounds for his 21st double-double this season. The 6-9 Lawson is a first-team All-Big 12 performer who shoots 81 percent from the foul line.

Kansas made the Final Four last year, falling to eventual champion Villanova, and has reached the Elite Eight three straight years. The Jayhawks are 6-2 against the spread in their last eight neutral-site games.

We can tell you Hammer is leaning under, but his much stronger play is on the spread. He knows every tendency of these opposing coaches and identified a critical X-factor that makes one side of the spread a must-back. He's only sharing what it is, and who to back, at SportsLine.