The Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament gets going on Thursday as a pair of teams that advanced in but did not cover either of the first two games of the big dance, Arkansas and Gonzaga, battle it out in the West Region.
Arkansas Razorbacks vs Gonzaga Bulldogs (-9.5, 155)
Arkansas has an edge in the turnover battle, ranking 60th in turnovers forced on a per possession basis for a defense that is 25th in points allowed on a per possession basis while Gonzaga is forcing a turnover on 16.2% of their possessions on defense, which ranks 289th in the nation in this category.
In their last three games, Gonzaga is making just 59.7% of their free throws and are 190th in free throw shooting percentage while Arkansas is 21st in the country in free throw shooting percentage away from home at 77.7%.
Arkansas leads the country in free throws made per possession and have scored at least 74 points in seven of their last nine games while attempting 25 or more free throws in five of their six games in March.
The Razorbacks are 16-3 in their last 19 games with just one of those losses coming by more than four points and will keep Thursday’s game tight.
The Play: Arkansas +9.5
Sign up for a subscription at VSiN and get access to Peterson’s spread and total lines for every game on the college basketball board.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL/IN/MI/NJ/PA/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-877-770-STOP (7867) (LA), 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY), visit OPGR.org (OR), call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN), or 1-888-532-3500 (VA).21+ (18+ NH/WY). Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/LA/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.