Is Arkansas Ready for Another Deep Run?
Vermont will be a popular upset choice in the March Madness predictions because of a senior-dominated lineup that just overran its competition in the America East tournament. However, let’s remember that Arkansas was 3-1 against ranked teams since the start of February and is no stranger to success at this time of the season after reaching the Elite Eight a year ago.
Arkansas’ JD Notae was called out by head coach Eric Musselman after the SEC tournament loss, so expect a bounce-back performance from the team’s leading scorer.
Arkansas has seven Quad 1 wins and that is why the Razorbacks are a top-16 seed in the March Madness brackets for the second straight year.
Arkansas is listed at +8000 in the odds to win the national title.
Let’s check the latest news, stats, injury reports, and March Madness Odds for Vermont vs Arkansas. We’ve plenty of predictions for you to consider.
Experienced Vermont Eyes Upset
Vermont is a perfect example of a team that doesn’t beat itself. The Catamounts are 10th in the nation with an average of 10.0 turnovers per game and 16th with just 13.7 fouls committed per game. They also rank 15th with a 48.6 field goal percentage.
The Catamounts’ top four scorers have played together for the last three seasons and the senior-laden team is led by Ryan Davis and Ben Shungu.
Vermont’s depth improved with the transfers of Finn Sullivan from San Diego and Kameron Gibson from Western Carolina.
Vermont is riding an eight-game winning streak into the NCAA Tournament. The Catamounts absolutely blitzed the field in the America East tournament, winning by an average of 36.7 points. However, they won’t be facing an America East team or be playing at home on Thursday.
Vermont only played one game against teams from the Power-5 conferences and lost to Maryland 68-57. The Catamounts did beat Ivy champion Yale but lost to Big East regular-season champion Providence.
Vermont is 6-2 against the Las Vegas odds in its last eight games.
Arkansas Looks to Rebound from SEC Tourney Loss
It would be easy to get caught up in the last performance by Arkansas, which was an absolute stinker in the SEC semifinal loss to Texas A&M. However, since the beginning of February, the Razorbacks are 9-3 with wins over Auburn and Kentucky, teams who could very well be in the running for the national championship. The other two losses came to a Tennessee team peaking at the perfect time and by a point to Alabama.
The March Madness odds list Arkansas at +1200 to reach the Final Four, but this will be a challenging opening assignment for the Razorbacks.
If there is a concern, it could be depth. Three Arkansas starters, including top scorer JD Notae, who average more than 30 minutes per game. The bench is even shorter considering that 7-foot-3 sophomore Connor Vanover hasn’t played since Jan. 18.
Arkansas isn’t afraid to get into an up-tempo game and against Vermont that figures to be what the Razorbacks would like to do. The Razorbacks’ defense can be shaky at times and that was evident when Texas A&M put up 82 points on Arkansas. They also gave up 88 points to Oklahoma and 89 to Hofstra in back-to-back games in December.
Each of the last six Arkansas games went over the college basketball spreads total.
Vermont vs Arkansas Head-to-Head
Vermont and Arkansas have never played, although those who bet online might be interested to know what Vermont is 0-12 against teams from the Southeastern Conference.
Vermont is 1-2 against No. 4 seeds but 2-1 against the spread. The Catamounts lost to No. 4 seeds Florida State in 2019 by seven points and Purdue by 10 in 2017.
Vermont vs Arkansas Information
- Game: Vermont (28-5) vs. Arkansas (25-8)
- Location: KeyBank Center, Buffalo, New York
- Day/Time: Thursday, 9:20 p.m. ET
- Streaming: TBS.com
Vermont vs Arkansas Betting Lines
Vermont vs Arkansas Prediction
Arkansas didn’t bring its A game against Texas A&M in the SEC tournament but had time to regroup and refocus. Vermont will certainly not be an easy matchup with a nucleus that has been together for a while.
JD Notae had a season-low 5 points, Jaylin Williams had a season-high 5 turnovers and Arkansas had a rough Saturday at the SEC Tournament.
Bob Holt’s recap of the Razorbacks’ loss to Texas A&M: https://t.co/RhjqbgHsxx
— WholeHogSports.com (@wholehogsports) March 13, 2022
When Arkansas gets into trouble, it usually comes on the defensive end. If the Razorbacks are locked in defensively, they can beat anybody in the country.
The props favor Arkansas winning by 3-6 points with a payout of +450, so going with Vermont to cover as a five-point underdog isn’t a bad play.
Pick:Arkansas -220
Pick:Vermont +5
Here’s your chance to win $1,000,000. Shoot your shot in the BetUS March Mayhem Bracket Contest.
