High Point (12) vs. Arkansas (4) Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
You can say that March Madness does not truly begin until the first thrilling upset in the NCAA Tournament. If that’s the case, you can thank the No. 12 seed High Point Panthers for officially tipping off this year’s festivities.
The Panthers’ reward is a second meeting in program history with the Arkansas Razorbacks, who eased past Hawaii 97-78 in their tournament opener. Tip-off is set for 9:45 pm ET on Saturday at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
High Point vs. Arkansas NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
The Panthers were +10.5 underdogs against Wisconsin, and the doubts are even greater in round two, which is not surprising given that Arkansas is a tougher, more in-form opponent. High Point is getting 11.5 points, while an outright upset is priced at +500. Arkansas is a -700 favourite on the money line. As for the game total, it is set at 168.5 points.
Recent trends are in favor of the Razorbacks, who are a decent 4-2 against the spread in their last six games. The Panthers are 2-4 ATS in their last six overall. Meanwhile, the Over is 12-5 in High Point’s last 17 contests and 8-2 in Arkansas’ previous 10.
High Point Panthers
High Point came back from 10 points down against Wisconsin, including by eight with less than five minutes remaining. The Panthers prevailed on Chase Johnston’s first two-point basket of the entire season. You can’t make this stuff up, folks; it was really his first two-pointer of the year. It came with 11 seconds left, and a blocked shot on the Badgers’ ensuing possession clinched victory.
Regardless of the double-digit spread, there was a reason why High Point was a trendy upset pick. Head coach Flynn Clayman’s crew is 31-4 and has won 15 games in a row. Although the Panthers’ schedule was obviously nothing special, it does include a 97-71 thumping of fellow NCAA Tournament team Furman, which won the Southern Conference. High-scoring High Point is averaging 86.3 points per game, good for the 11th most in all of Division I.
Arkansas Razorbacks
Arkansas is also boiling, having won the SEC Tournament last weekend. Head coach John Calipari’s squad is on a six-game winning streak and has not lost to any opponent outside of the top 25 since January. It has dropped only two games against unranked opponents this entire season.
The Razorbacks are led by freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr., who is, without question, one of the best players in the country. Acuff is averaging 23.0 points and 6.6 assists per game while shooting 48.6% from the field, 44.4% from three-point range, and 80.8% from the foul line. The Detroit native has scored at least 24 points in five consecutive contests, 37 in the SEC quarterfinals against Vanderbilt, and 30 in the conference final against Vanderbilt.
March Madness Prediction: Who Will Win High Point vs. Arkansas?
Arkansas dominated the first head-to-head matchup between these two schools 89-48 at home in December 2013. That was 13 years ago during the dog days of the regular season. Now a Sweet 16 berth in the NCAA Tournament is on the line, and High Point looks like a force with which to be reckoned.
Unlike Wisconsin, though, Arkansas is a wagon. Acuff and company really should have been given a better seed than No. 5. Let’s go with Arkansas 90, High Point 80.