Arkansas Razorbacks vs Gonzaga Bulldogs Betting Preview
The Sweet 16 will start off with a fascinating matchup as the No. 4 Arkansas Razorbacks (27-8) take on the No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs (28-3). This game will be played at the Chase Center, with tipoff scheduled for 7:09 pm ET.
To get to this point, Arkansas has taken down No. 13 Vermont (75-71) and No. 12 New Mexico State (53-48). In the second-round win over New Mexico, JD Notae had a game-high 18 points while Jaylin Williams added a double-double with 10 points and 15 boards.
For Gonzaga, they were able to take down No. 16 Georgia State (93-72) relatively easily before running into some trouble with the No. 9 Memphis Tigers.
In the 82-78 win over the Tigers, the Bulldogs had to come back from 10 points down at half to secure the win. Drew Timme led all scorers with 25 points and added 14 rebounds. Andrew Nembhard and Rasir Bolton combined for 40 points in the win as well.
The Bulldogs are heavy favorites in this one. They are -500 to win while the Razorbacks’ moneyline sits at +375. The spread features Arkansas +9.5 (-110), and the over/under for total points is 155.
More Odds
In terms of winning the National Championship, Gonzaga has the best odds of the remaining 16 teams at +240. The Razorbacks are +5000 to win it all.
By The Numbers
Gonzaga leads the nation in scoring this season. They are currently averaging 87.8 points per game. For Arkansas, they rank 37th, averaging 76.2 points.
Defensively, it is again the Bulldogs with the advantage. They rank 65th in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 66 points per game. The Razorbacks rank 129th allowing 68 points per game.
Arkansas Trying To Pull Of Major Upset
The Razorbacks knew they would have a tough draw with the tournament’s top-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs being in their region, but this team has proven all year long they are up for the challenge.
In fact, Arkansas took down No. 8 Auburn, No. 7 Kentucky, and No. 5 Tennessee at different points this season. On Thursday, they will try to add Gonzaga to that list.
Leading the Razorbacks’ offense is senior guard JD Notae. This season, he is averaging 18.4 points on 40.1 percent shooting. He is also adding 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 2.3 steals per game.
Aside from Notae, Arkansas has three others averaging double digits in Stanley Umude (12 points, 4.8 rebounds), Au’Diese Toney (10.7 points, 5.2 rebounds), and Jaylin Williams (10.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.1 blocks).
Gonzaga Trying To Prove They Are The Best In The Tournament
While Gonzaga won both of their first two games of the tournament, they didn’t come without angst. Even in the 21-point win over Georgia State, they were up by just two at halftime. On Thursday, they will try to prove they are the best in the nation in a more convincing manner as they face Arkansas.
Junior forward Drew Timme has been sensational this season. He is averaging 18.2 points on 59.2 percent shooting. He is also averaging 6.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.
Like Arkansas, the Bulldogs have a lot of depth to their offense. Other major contributors include Chet Holmgren (14.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.7 blocks), Andrew Nembhard (12 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.5 steals), Julian Strawther (11.8 points, 5.5 rebounds), and Rasir Bolton (11.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists).
Take Arkansas And The Points
When you get to the Sweet 16, all of the remaining teams have talent, and this game is no exception. Both teams have loaded offenses and are capable of putting up big points.
While Gonzaga is the better team on paper, don’t count out Arkansas, especially with the way that the Bulldogs have been letting teams hang around lately.
At the very worst, there is a lot of value in taking Arkansas and the points.
Take the Razorbacks +9.5.
