Published Mar 17, 11:44am ET by
Gabriel Kozlow - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated Mar 17, 11:44am ET
Updated Mar 17, 11:46am ET
The Arkansas Razorbacks will face the Hawai‘i Rainbow Warriors in a first-round matchup of the March Madness Tournament. The No. 13 seed will have the tough task of trying to contain Darius Acuff Jr. and the rest of the No. 4 seed Arkansas squad.
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| ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS | -1350 |
| HAWAI'I RAINBOW WARRIORS | +800 |
Hawai‘i enters the tournament as the Big West champions after knocking off UC Irvine in its last game. The Rainbow Warriors are a strong defensive team, while also bringing a solid offensive mix through Isaac Johnson and Hunter Erickson. They will have a major defensive challenge on their hands in trying to contain Darius Acuff.
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The Rainbow Warriors will need to focus on moving the ball and controlling their own tempo. They are also a good rebounding team, so they will need to make sure they limit as many second-chance points from their opponent as possible.
The Arkansas Razorbacks are coming off a statement win over the Commodores to claim the SEC Tournament title. Led by experienced coach John Calipari and young star Darius Acuff, they will be looking to make a deep run with strong March Madness odds.
Calipari has often seen the most success in his NCAAB career when he has a player like Acuff by his side. Reminiscent of guards such as Derrick Rose, John Wall, and De’Aaron Fox, Acuff has the tools to become an NBA superstar one day. He is averaging 22.9 PPG while shooting 48.6% from the field, and he is also dishing out 6.5 APG.
The Arkansas Razorbacks are heavy favorites at -15.5, with an over/under of 159.5. The moneyline is -1350 for Arkansas and +800 for Hawai‘i. No. 13 seeds beat No. 4 seeds about 21% of the time, making the Rainbow Warriors a potential threat.
Arkansas is led by its coach, who has 25 NCAA Tournament appearances, 59 wins, 6 Final Four appearances, and 1 National Championship. We think Hawai‘i is a good team, but Arkansas is our pick to move on to the next round.
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Pick
Arkansas Razorbacks (-1350)
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