The Razorbacks and Bulldogs meet in San Francisco in a West Regional semifinal Thursday. Who will make a return trip to the Elite 8? Can Arkansas spoil Gonzaga’s attempt at their third straight Elite 8 and second straight finals appearance?
The Sweet 16 of the NCAA men’s tournament kicks off Thursday and includes a battle between No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 4 Arkansas in the West Region in San Francisco. The tournament’s overall No. 1 seed Bulldogs (28-3 overall, 14-14-3 ATS) has had an interesting start to the tournament. They seemed to sleepwalk through most of their first-round game against No. 16 Georgia State before winning by 21, then held off a strong upset bid by No. 9 Memphis, winning 82-78.
No. 4 Arkansas (27-8 overall, 21-14 ATS) is playing in their second straight Sweet 16 after going nearly 25 years without a Sweet 16 appearance. They’ve survived two upset bids thus far, taking a 75-71 decision from No. 13 Vermont and edging No. 12 New Mexico State, 53-48, to reach the second weekend.
Here are my picks and predictions for Thursday’s NCAAB matchup between the Razorbacks and the Bulldogs. (Odds via BetMGM)
Arkansas vs. Gonzaga Game Info
Date/Time: 03/24/2022, 7:09 EDT
TV: CBS
Location: Chase Center, San Francisco, CA
Arkansas vs. Gonzaga Odds Analysis
Gonzaga enters this game as a 9 or 9.5-point favorite on all the major betting sites. It’s a 9.5-point spread with a -110 moneyline at BetMGM. The line has hovered around 9 the entire time, mainly going between 8.5 and 9.5</p>
The over/under has held pretty steady between 155 and 156 across the books. At BetMGM, the O/U is currently 155.5 with a -110 moneyline both ways.
Arkansas vs. Gonzaga Picks
Arkansas +9.5 (-110)
Under 155.5 (-110)
Arkansas vs. Gonzaga Predictions
Arkansas +9.5 (-110)
Both teams were battle-tested during the tournament’s opening weekend, particularly in the second round. Now, Gonzaga and Arkansas have had a few days of rest in preparation of this very intriguing Sweet 16 matchup between two of the top defenses in the country. Gonzaga has plenty of firepower, but Arkansas’ JD Notae is no slouch himself, leading the team in points, assists and steals per game. He’ll keep the Razorbacks in the mix. Gonzaga likely moves on, but we’ll bet Arkansas keeps it to a single-digit margin.
Under 155.5 (-110)
This is a meeting between two of the top 25 teams in the country in defensive efficiency (Gonzaga 5th, Arkansas 25th). Per The Action Network, the under has hit 58.1% of the time in the Sweet 16 in 1 vs 4 matchups. This could be a game where the defenses shine and where both teams may land in the 60s or low 70s. We’ll go with the historical trend here and take the under.