When: 12:45 pm ET, Friday, March 19 on truTV
Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Odds: Arkansas (-9)
3-seed Arkansas and 14-seed Colgate will meet in one of the first games of the Round of 64 in a matchup that could produce the first big upset of March Madness.
After their 12-game SEC winning streak was snapped with a loss in the SEC Tournament Semifinals, the Arkansas Razorbacks come into the NCAA Tournament as a sleeper Final Four team.
Arkansas finished the regular season at 22-6 overall, 13-4 in the SEC, and one of the top offensive teams in the country. The Razorbacks averaged 82.4 PPG, which ranks 7th in the country, and are led by SEC Freshman of the Year Moses Moody.
Moody has emerged as one of the top scorers in the country averaging 17.4 PPG on 44.2% shooting, but it doesn’t stop there for the Hogs. SEC Sixth Man of the Year JD Notae, Justin Smith, and more; the Razorbacks are deep with talent and are capable of beating anyone of any night.
Meanwhile, the Colgate Raiders have emerged as a popular Round of 64 upset pick. The Raiders come into the NCAA Tournament as the Patriot League champions at 14-1 overall, winners of their last 13 games in a row.
Colgate is one of the top offensive teams in the country averaging 86.3 PPG on 49.8% shooting, both of which rank Top 10 in the country. The Raiders are led by senior guard Jordan Burns averaging 17 PPG, 4.4 RPG, and 5.4 APG on 40+% shooting from two and three-point range, as well as guard Jack Ferguson averaging 12.6 PPG on 50+% shooting from two and three-point range, both of whom are 90% free-throw shooters. Colgate is ranked as the #9 team in the country according to the NET Rankings, and are very capable of pulling off the upset if the shots are falling.
If you like points, this is the game for you. Both the Razorbacks and Raiders can score with ease at any moment, and you should expect this game to be high-scoring throughout. The difference in this game could be the Arkansas defense, which is far better than Colgate’s.
If the Hogs can put together some stops down the stretch and make a late run to pull away, Arkansas will win. Don’t count out the very first upset of the 2021 NCAA Tournament here however, this could be where the “Madness” of March strikes first.
Prediction: Arkansas 82, Colgate 77