Arkansas vs UConn NCAA Tournament Sweet 16: How to watch, odds and predictions for March Madness

ALBANY, NEW YORK - MARCH 19: Head coach Dan Hurley (L) and Joey Calcaterra #3 of the Connecticut Huskies celebrate in the second half against the St. Mary's Gaels during the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at MVP Arena on March 19, 2023 in Albany, New York. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Fresh off eliminating the No. 1 seed Kansas Jayhawks, the No. 8 seed Arkansas Razorbacks will face another tough test against Danny Hurley’s No. 4 seed UConn Huskies in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night.

This 2023 NCAA Tournament matchup could very well be one of the most entertaining of this coming weekend. Expect this one to be a close back-and-forth considering these rosters are just as similarly battle tested.

Arkansas boasts a balanced scoring attack with five players, led by Ricky Council IV, averaging more than 11 points per game. Problem is, they don’t have a dominant paint presence, which could pose a problem when facing UConn’s Adama Sanogo, the 6-foot-9 big man who averages 17.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

The battle of the guards will be a notable storyline, though, with UConn’s Jordan Hawkins, Tristen Newton and Andre Jackson Jr. going up against Council IV, Nick Smith Jr. and Anthony Black.

How to watch Arkansas vs UConn in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16

Date: Friday, March 23
Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
Channel: CBS
Streaming: NCAA March Madness Live
Announcers: Dan Bonner, Stan Van Gundy, Lauren Shehadi

Arkansas vs UConn NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 odds

According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Connecticut is a 3.5-point favorite (-115, bet $115 to win $100) and -178 on the moneyline (bet $178 to win $100) while the Razorbacks are +3.5 (-105, bet $105 to win $100) and +146 on the moneyline (bet $100 to win $146). The over/under checks in at 139.5.

Arkansas vs UConn NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 prediction

Though Arkansas finished the regular season unranked while UConn came into the 2023 tourney as the No. 10 team in the country, the Razorbacks are vying for their third straight Elite 8 appearance. The last three times they faced a No. 1 seed, they’re 2-1. They were eliminated by Duke and Baylor the previous two tournaments.

Meanwhile, UConn’s been a tourney disappointment since 2015. They’ve only made it to the Big Dance four times since and this is the first time they’ve gotten past the second round over that span. Last year they were upset by No. 12 seed New Mexico State.

For as impressive UConn has been this year, the fact of the matter is that they haven’t defeated a ranked opponent that still resides in the top 25 since Feb. 7 … and that was their only such victory since Nov. 25 against Alabama. The same could be said for Arkansas, but they’ve responded admirably ever since losing four of their last five to end the regular season. We’ll go with the Razorbacks in a tight one.

Arkansas 74, UConn 71

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