The Dayton Flyers looked cooked in the second half of their March Madness opener versus the Nevada Wolf Pack. But a 17-point deficit didn’t dampen their spirits, as Dayton stormed back to win 63-60 in a memorable affair. Arizona’s handling of Long Beach was not as iconic, but rather a demonstration of force and superiority courtesy of an 85-65 victory.

The March Madness odds believe that the buck stops here for heroic Dayton, as Arizona is a -9.5 favourite.

Dayton Flyers vs. Arizona Wildcats NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting

Dayton and Arizona cross paths for the first time with the stakes so high, as there isn’t any history to speak of here with them as opponents.

The Flyers don’t have a great second-round record overall. In their 19 appearances in the big tournament, they’ve only reached the Sweet Sixteen stage seven times, resulting in a 7-12 tally in the sophomore round. On the other hand, the Wildcats have fared much better in round number two, going 20-2 whenever they’ve gotten this far.

There are some interesting rebounding props in this one. Arizona’s Oumar Ballo is a giant. While +15 is a bit bold, there are some +5, +8, and, if one is feeling it, a +10 that could very well cash in. Dayton will go as far as DaRon Holmes II can take them, so expect him to play hard. There are some intriguing +12 and +15 points props.

Dayton Flyers (7)

March Madness earns its namesake not only because the games come in fast and furiously, but because of matches like the Dayton-Nevada contest in round one. Just when it looked like the Flyers were about to fly out of the tournament, they turned things around and won 60-63.

Down 17 points in the second half, they prevented Nevada from scoring a single point for almost five minutes down the stretch. The final stats sheet indicates a tight game, which is most certainly was, only that most of the Nevada numbers came from the first half and most of the Dayton figures from the second half. That the Flyers put the Wolf Pack on the free throw line only six times is remarkable. DaRon Holmes II led the way with 18 points and nine rebounds, and a superb three steals, while Koby Brea pitched in with 15 points of his own. A character win if there ever was one.

Arizona Wildcats (2)

Arizona’s journey in the 2024 edition of March Madness continues after showing Long Beach who’s boss. The Californian side played the Wildcats tough for a while in the opening half – it was only a 41-35 game at the break – but ultimately could not compete with Arizona’s talent.

The Wildcats chucked an incredible 35 three-point shots in the game, and making only 13 of them was more than enough to do most of the damage since Long Beach only hit three themselves. Kylan Boswell was on fire, hitting 8-of-19 for 20 points and dishing eight dimes, not to mention two steals. All five starters reached double-digits, with Caleb Love coming second with 18 points, to which he added 11 boards. No one could stop Oumar Ballo, who grabbed 13 off the glass, four of which were offensive for second chance points.

Who Will Win Flyers vs. Wildcats?

FLYERS

Away

68

WILDCATS

Home

82

Score
Predictions

Matchup