The 8th-seeded Arkansas Razorbacks (22-13) and 4th-seeded UConn Huskies (27-8) meet Thursday in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament. Tip from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET (CBS). Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Arkansas vs. UConn odds as we make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and best bets.
The Razorbacks beat Illinois 73-63 in the 1st round and ousted the defending champion Kansas Jayhawks 72-71 in the 2nd, covering both games and cashing the Under in each. The Hogs are 6-1 ATS in the last 7 neutral-site games, too.
The Huskies worked over Saint Mary’s 70-55 in the 2nd round to easily cover (-3.5), and routed Iona 87-63 in the 1st round to cover (-9).
UConn’s Adama Sanogo has been playing out of his mind in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 26.0 points, 10.5 rebounds and 1 blocked shot per game while shooting 72.7% (24 of 33) from the field in the 2 games.
The last meeting between these teams was also on a neutral floor on Nov. 26, 2017, at Moda Center in Portland, Ore. Arkansas routed UConn 102-67 to easily cover a 6-point spread as the Over cashed.
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Arkansas vs. UConn odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:41 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Arkansas +160 (bet $100 to win $160) | UConn -190 (bet $190 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Arkansas +4.5 (-115) | UConn -4.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 140.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)
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Arkansas vs. UConn picks and predictions
Prediction
UConn 73, Arkansas 66
Moneyline
UCONN (-180) is right at my personal limit for a standalone moneyline wager. If you don’t want to mess around with laying the points, this isn’t a bad way to go. I really like the way the Huskies are playing, particularly Sanogo, who might be playing better than anybody in the tournament right now.
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Against the spread
UCONN -4.5 (-105) is a decent play. After some shaky play around the holidays into January, the Huskies tightened things up again in February into March. UConn is 11-2 straight-up (SU) and 10-3 ATS during the impressive run.
Arkansas +4.5 (-115) has caught fire in the tournament, topping a Big Ten and Big 12 foe. However, this is a team which is still just 3-4 SU in the last 7 games overall, and 3-3 ATS in the previous 6.
In a situation like this, when 2 teams have similar smaller sample sizes like the NCAA Tournament, expand your view a bit. UConn easily has the better body of work over the longer term, and therefore they’re the play.
Over/Under
The UNDER 140.5 (-112) is the lean.
The Under has cashed in 5 straight NCAA Tournament games for Arkansas, while going 4-1 in the last 5 neutral-site battles.
The Under is 5-1 in the last 6 games overall for UConn, while cashing in 4 of the last 5 games on a neutral floor. The Under is 5-0 in the last 5 for the Huskies after a cover, too.
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