Ohio Valley champion Belmont gets the 11 seed in a battle against Arizona Thursday as West Region betting action tips off on Utah.
The Arizona Wildcats, the 6 seed in the West, were 4.5-point favorites over the Bruins. They earned solid wins over Florida and Miami early in the season to keep them in the top half of the bracket even after losing to UCLA in the Pac 12 semifinals.
Belmont is 19-2 SU in its last 21 games but just 1-10 SU as an underdog since 2009. Can they overcome that mark to handle the bigger Wildcats?
The Bruins will look to vanquish their hosts on Thursday, as they are 14-15 ATS versus the spread this season, while the Wildcats are 14-16 ATS. Belmont is 14-12 against the total, while Arizona is 10-18-1 versus the number.
View Belmont vs Arizona Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
Sportsbooks (including Sportsbook) had the Wildcats installed as 4.5-point favorites in this particular matchup earlier in the day. Also, watch for the Sportsbook over-under value at Sportsbook.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
It's a betting matchup between the No. 31-rated Wildcats and the No. 35-ranked Bruins, according to the latest pro hoops power rankings here at Odds Shark. Prediction formulas run on this game indicate a possible 83-79 result in favor of the Bruins.
How They Match Up:
Rebounding is always a key handicapping consideration and Bruins is ranked No. 277 in NCAA hoops at 32.2 per game. Contrast that with Arizona’s No. 99 mark in the paint. When it comes to three-point shooting, Arizona is the No. 46-ranked team in the country at 7.7 per game, while Belmont rates No. 12 at 8.5 per game.
Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, Belmont owns the country's No. 138-rated mark, allowing 67.8 points per game on the highway. Arizona, on the other hand, rates No. 63 in scoring at home.
In their last action, Belmont was a 70-68 Sportsbook at home against Murray State. They failed to cover the 7.5-point spread as favorites. J.J. Mann scored 18 points leading the Bruins to a 70-68 victory over Murray State at Municipal Auditorium on Saturday.
Arizona was a 66-64 loser in its last match on the road against UCLA. They failed to cover the 4-point spread as favorites. Arizona suffered a 66-64 loss against UCLA on Friday, getting 15 points from Brandon Ashley in a losing effort at MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Belmont Bruins Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 7-3
After playing Murray State are 4-1
After a win are 8-2
Arizona Wildcats Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 6-4
After playing UCLA are 7-3
After a loss are 7-3
A few Bruins at Wildcats trends to consider:
Arizona is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Arizona's last 7 games
Arizona is 7-14 ATS in its last 21 games
