The No. 7 Arkansas Razorbacks (23-11) battle against the No. 10 Butler Bulldogs (20-13) in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament at Little Caesars Arena. The game is scheduled to start at 3:10 p.m. ET on Friday, March 16, 2018.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 150.5 points with Butler set as a 1.5-point favorite.
Butler Bulldogs vs. Arkansas Razorbacks Betting Prediction
The Bulldogs are hoping for a better outcome after their 87-68 loss to the No. 2 Villanova Wildcats in the . Villanova out-rebounded Butler. The Wildcats had 12 offensive rebounds and 37 total rebounds, while the Bulldogs had three and 25, respectively. Kelan Martin was Butler’s high scorer with 13 points on 5-for-11 shooting.
In the , the Razorbacks got blown out by the No. 13 Tennessee Volunteers, 84-66. Tennessee’s 0.684 effective field goal percentage was their biggest advantage over Arkansas, who had a rate of 0.469. The Volunteers’ mark was above their season average of 0.504, while the Razorbacks’ was below their season average of 0.543. Arkansas’ Anton Beard had 11 points in the game.
From an effective field goal percentage perspective, Arkansas should have a considerable advantage. The elite Razorbacks offense ranks 59th in the nation in that metric at 0.542, while the bottom-tier Butler defense is ranked 253rd in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.520).
Butler Bulldogs vs. Arkansas Razorbacks Odds Pick
Prediction: SU Winner – Arkansas, ATS Winner – Arkansas, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
Butler ranks 109th in three pointers attempted per game (23.0) while Arkansas ranks 257th in three pointers allowed per game (24.1).
The Razorbacks rank 35th in blocks per game (4.6) while the Bulldogs rank 169th (2.9).
Butler averages 14.0 assists per game, which ranks 130th in the NCAA. Arkansas ranks 158th in assists allowed per game (13.6).
The Razorbacks are 12th in the nation with 4.8 steals allowed per game while the Bulldogs are 31st with 5.2 steals allowed per game.
Bettings Trends:
The Bulldogs have been outscored by an average of 1.8 points in their last five games. For the season, Butler has defeated opponents by an average of 6.3 points.
During their last five games, the Razorbacks have scored an average of 74.6 points per game (6.5 below their season average) and allowed an average of 75.8 points per game (0.3 above their season average).
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