The No. 10 Butler Bulldogs (20-13) square off against the No. 7 Arkansas Razorbacks (23-11) in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament at Little Caesars Arena. The game starts at 3:10 p.m. ET on Friday, March 16, 2018.
The game’s Over/Under (O/U) opened at 151 points with Butler set as a 1.5-point favorite.
Butler Bulldogs vs. Arkansas Razorbacks Free Prediction
The Bulldogs are hoping for a better outcome after their 87-68 loss to the No. 2 Villanova Wildcats in the Big East Conference Tourney. Villanova’s rebounding was their largest advantage. The Wildcats had 12 offensive rebounds and 37 total rebounds, while the Bulldogs had three and 25, respectively. Kelan Martin led Butler in scoring with 13 points on 5-for-11 shooting.
In the Southeastern Conference Tourney, 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 mark 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 contest.
When considering effective field goal percentage, Arkansas figures to have a considerable edge. The sweet-shooting Razorbacks offense ranks 58th in the NCAA in that metric at 0.542, while the porous Butler defense is ranked 252nd in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.520).
Butler heads into the game with records of 20-13 straight up (SU) and 15-17 against the spread (ATS). Games featuring the Bulldogs tend to go over the projected point total (59.4 percent).
Meanwhile, Arkansas is 23-11 SU and 17-16-1 ATS. Just over half of Razorbacks games have finished over the total.
Butler Bulldogs vs. Arkansas Razorbacks Odds Pick
Basketball Prediction: SU Winner – Butler, ATS Winner – Arkansas, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
Butler ranks 111th in three-pointers attempted per game (23.0) while Arkansas ranks 257th in three-pointers allowed per game (24.1).
The Razorbacks rank 33rd in blocks per game (4.6) while the Bulldogs rank 166th (2.9).
Butler averages 14.0 assists per game, which ranks 133rd in the nation. Arkansas ranks 160th in assists allowed per game (13.6).
The Razorbacks are 12th in the NCAA 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).
$$$$$
