The defending National Champions cruised past No. 16 Howard in Thursday’s Round of 64 and will now face No. 8 Arkansas in the Round of 32.
The Razorbacks took down Illinois in impressive fashion in their opening game, but will now have to face the No. 1 seed in the West.
Can the Hogs hang with the Jayhawks? Let’s dive into odds for the game and then I’ll give you my best bet.
Arkansas vs. Kansas odds, spread, and total
Arkansas vs. Kansas prediction and pick
Believe it or not, I like Arkansas in this spot. Yes, Kansas has the more impressive resume and the better record, but statistically, these two are are more similar than you might think.
The Jayhawks slightly outrank the Razorbacks in shooting, coming in at 75th in effective field goal percentage compared to 96th, but Arkansas comes in ahead of Kansas in defensive efficiency, rebounding, and extra scoring chances per game.
Kansas’ average scoring margin is also only slightly above Arkansas, at +7.6 compared to +7.1.
The Razorbacks have also proven they can hang with the big dogs. They lost by just three points in their last game against Alabama, and they have wins against the likes of Missouri, San Diego State, and Missouri.
Despite this being a No. 1 vs. No. 8 game, this game is a lot closer than you might think, and I’ll take the points with the Hugs on Saturday.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
