After having to wait two whole years between tournaments, college basketball fans and bettors everywhere can breathe a sigh of relief. The NCAA Tournament, more affectionately known as March Madness, makes its triumphant return this week. With first-round action tipping off just after noon EST Time on Friday, now is the time to finish those brackets and lock in some March Madness best bets!.
Among the early games on Friday is an intriguing South Region matchup between the N0. 3 seed Arkansas Razorbacks and No. 14 seed Colgate Raiders. Both teams are known to push the pace and get after it offensively. The following article looks at the best available odds and offers a March Madness best bets prediction for the Colgate – Arkansas matchup on Friday afternoon.
Colgate vs. Arkansas | March Madness Best Bets
Colgate vs. Arkansas Game Info
Colgate Raiders (14-1, 11-1 Patriot) vs. Arkansas Razorbacks (22-6, 13-4 SEC)
Date: Friday, March 19, 2021
Start Time: 12:45 p.m. EST
Venue: Bankers Life Fieldhouse — Indianapolis, IN
Coverage: TruTV
Colgate smoked out the competition on their way to earning the Patriot League’s automatic bid. The Raiders were never truly threatened in the conference tournament and now bring their high pace and lethal shooting to the March Madness stage. Another point of interest about Colgate is that they finished the year ninth in the College Basketball Net. An upset of Arkansas would go a long way towards justifying a number that many find too crazy to believe.
Like Colgate, Arkansas likes to push the pace. Arkansas is led by freshman Moses Moody, who will be a lottery pick one day. There is a real chance he will turn pro this year after averaging 17.9 points per game. Arkansas finished second behind Alabama in the SEC regular-season standings. They suffered a 1-point loss in the SEC Tournament semifinals to LSU.
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Colgate vs. Arkansas March Madness Best Bets + Odds Shopping
For those looking to bet on the Colgate – Arkansas first-round game, shopping the March Madness odds at various sportsbooks is key to getting the best value possible. Whether you wish to back favored Arkansas or underdog Colgate, discrepancies in the lines and odds throughout the college basketball betting market make odds shopping a necessity. With its side-by-side comparison of the March Madness betting odds for Colgate – Arkansas, the Awesemo OddsShopper Tool is the best resource to help with this process.
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As seen in the accompanying image above, most sportsbooks have the point spread for this matchup favoring Arkansas by 8.5 points. The best odds on this number can be found in the -108 price at PointsBet. For Colgate bettors, the only place to bet this game is at FanDuel. The spread is oddly a full point higher than all other shops in the college basketball betting market. Even though one would have to lay -122 on Colgate +9.5, having a whole extra point in the pocket is worth it.
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Colgate vs. Arkansas March Madness Best Bets | Total
The total for this Colgate – Arkansas matchup is one of the highest of all NCAA Tournament First round games and deservedly so given how both teams like to get out and run. Bettors can find -108 odds on over 161 total points at any of SugarHouse, PointsBet or DraftKings. For those looking to play the under as one of their March Madness best bets, a discrepancy at FanDuel is again worth noting. Under 161.5 (-115) marks the best value on this side of the bet.
Matt’s Pick – Arkansas -8.5
While Colgate is a trendy upset pick, Arkansas holds significant advantages in this matchup. Colgate played 15 games this season against five total opponents. Arkansas battled injuries all season long and managed to drop just six games against the elite competition of the SEC. Now fully healthy, Arkansas is poised to cover the 8.5-point spread and make a run in the tournament.
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