4. (3) Arkansas vs (14) Colgate
LINE: Arkansas -8.5
ATS PICK: Arkansas
– Bet on this, BetMGM latest line
If you’re new to the program, I freely admit to being a Power Five football snob when it comes to picking games. In general, I’ll take the talent, you take the plucky want-to, and I’ll take my chances.
The arrogance isn’t as strong with basketball, but it’s there.
I know, I know, I know, the NCAA Tournament is weird with the upsets, and the magic, and the One Shining Moment crap, but you take the gorgeous upstate New York school with 2,900 students and $75,000 tuition and I’ll take the SEC team that scores faster and better than just about anyone in America.
The Raiders have an absolutely insane No. 8 ranking according to the NCAA NET thing, and that’s because it went 12-1 and ripped through just about everyone.
However – and here’s where the high-brow elitist side kicks in – Colgate played just five teams.
It rolled at will through 5-11 Holy Cross four times. It beat 7-11 Boston University five times. It also beat 6-11 Loyola – the Maryland kind, not the good Chicago version – and hung 105 on 5-7 Bucknell.
Colgate’s best win was against Army, and it went 3-1 in the four games against the Knights.
Arkansas beat Alabama 81-66.
More to the comp, Oral Roberts is one of the nation’s best-scoring, best shooting teams – sort of in the same statistical world as Colgate, only against better competition – and Arkansas beat the Golden Eagles 87-78 back in late December.
In keeping with the boorish theme of taking the elite over the little guy …