The Arizona Wildcats emerged from the noise surrounding 15-seed Long Beach State and their longtime coach, Dan Monson, and send the underdogs home, 85-65. Their reward is a second-round date with the Dayton Flyers, who came back from a 17-point deficit to stun the Nevada Wolfpack. That deficit was the largest any team had overcome in a March Madness game since…Nevada came back from 22 down to stop Cincinnati. Let’s take a closer look at this showdown as you plan your March Madness betting for the weekend.
NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament Preview West Region, Second Round Dayton vs Arizona
When: Saturday, March 23, 2024, 12:45 pm ET Where: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah TV: CBS Radio: No National Broadcast Live Stream: fuboTV NCAAB Odds: Arizona -9.5 / O/U 149.5
Why should you bet on the Dayton Flyers?
It looked like Dayton would be heading back to class on Friday after finding themselves behind the Wolfpack by 17 with 7:19 remaining in the second half. Then came a 24-4 run to finish the game as Dayton employed a full-court press to generate turnovers. When Nevada made it into the frontcourt, they went into a conservative shell, trying to drain as much clock as possible instead of pushing the offense like they had when they were building the lead.
Juniors Koby Brea and Nate Santos nailed huge shots in crunch time, and Da’Ron Holmes II provided terrific rim defense. He can also switch onto guards on defense, making him an essential player ot kee out of foul trouble. Daytona added Kobe Elvis (DePaul), Javon Bennett (Merrimack), Nate Santos (Pitt), and Enoch Cheeks (Robert Morris) via the transfer portal this past offseason, and they all pitched in for the win. Brea nailed five three-balls and has two or more three-pointers in 13 of his last 14 games and has made 32 of his last 59 from distance (54%).
Dayton Odds to Win Today
Why should you put your money on the Arizona Wildcats?
Arizona saw all five starters score in double figures in their rout of Long Beach State, with sophomore Kylan Boswell leading the way with 20 points and eight assists. The first half was somewhat competitive, but then Arizona ran away in the second half, answering some questions that had started to gather around a team that had lost two of three, including a semifinal defeat in the Pac-12 Tournament. As the 2-seed, they had lost to Princeton a year ago and looked to put those questions behind them. At least for now, they seem to have.
Boswell might be Arizona’s most talented player, but he had not led the team in points and assists before the win over Long Beach State. Guards Pelle Larson and Caleb Love have shown more consistency this season. Love has Big Dance experience, starting for North Carolina in the national championship game in 2022, but he went just 5 of 24 from the floor after playing elite ball for every prior round of the tournament. This was his first season with Arizona, and he was named Pac-12 Player of the Year, leading the Wildcats with 18.1 points per game. He pulled down 11 rebounds on Thursday, a season best. The team’s two big men, Keshad Johnson and Oumar Ballo, will get all the heat they can handle from Holmes.
Arizona Odds to Win Today
Dayton vs Arizona Final Score and Prediction
Dayton finished the first half against Nevada on a 16-0 run and finished the game with that 24-4 run, for a combined total of 40-4. That means that they lost the rest of the game by a combined 33 points – and shows that the Flyers can be streaky. Brea is the nation’s best three-point shooter (49.7%) and will need to get hot again as the Wildcats score almost 88 points per game, third-most in the nation. Arizona looks like they have a massive chip on their shoulder, and they won’t freeze up like the Wolfpack did. Arizona to win and cover.
Current Odds to win NCAA Basketball Championship for Top 10 Teams
- UConn Huskies +350
- Houston Cougars +575
- Purdue Boilermakers +650
- Arizona Wildcats +1200
- North Carolina Tar Heels +1500
- Tennessee Volunteers +1700
- Auburn Tigers +1800
- Iowa State Cyclones +2000
- Creighton Bluejays +2500
- Marquette Golden Eagles +2500
2024 March Madness Schedule
| Round | City | Venue | Dates | Host |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First/Second | Spokane, Wash. | Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena | March 22 – 24 | University of Idaho |
| First/Second | Memphis, Tenn. | FedExForum | March 22 – 24 | University of Memphis |
| East Regional | Boston | TD Garden | March 28 – 30 | Boston College |
| South Regional | Dallas | American Airlines Center | March 29 -31 | Big 12 Conference |
| Midwest Regional | Detroit | Little Caesars Arena | March 29 – 31 | University of Detroit Mercy / Oakland University |
| West Regional | Los Angeles | Crypto.com Arena | March 28 – 30 | Pepperdine University |
Live March Madness Betting Odds For Today
Xbet College Basketball Odds for the Game
Dayton vs Arizona March Madness Betting Odds
Love betting Basketball? | Xbet Sportsbook offers up to date College Basketball lines
