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The Arkansas Razorbacks are set to face the Oklahoma Sooners this weekend. Check out our college basketball odds series, which includes our Arkansas Oklahoma prediction, odds, and pick.
Arkansas is rolling under coach Eric Musselman. The Razorbacks made the Elite Eight last season and lost to eventual national champion Baylor. There aren't many programs in America which are doing more with their resources than Arkansas. This season, the Hogs are still running wild. They haven't yet lost a game, making them one of just eight teams in the 358-member NCAA Division I field which have not yet lost a game. The other seven teams are Baylor, Iowa State, LSU, Arizona, USC, Colorado State, and San Francisco.
People who study college basketball odds and are thinking about an Arkansas Oklahoma pick are aware that the Hogs have a clear identity under Musselman: relentless energy, throw a lot of bodies at the opposition, wear the opponent down in the latter stages of the second half. Arkansas made a lot of comebacks from 10-point deficits last season. It's something Musselman did as well at Nevada when the Wolf Pack made the Sweet 16 in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Musselman has a formula and is clearly able to replicate it wherever he coaches. This makes Arkansas tough and dangerous.
Oklahoma is going through its first season under new coach Porter Moser, who was hired from Loyola-Chicago after respected coach Lon Kruger retired from coaching. Oklahoma was believed to be a bubble team for the 2022 NCAA Tournament, given the difficulty of a coaching transition and the absence of a Trae Young or Buddy Hield-level superstar in the lineup. So far, Oklahoma has played like a bubble team, showing glimpses of greatness in a win over Florida but then faltering at home against Butler earlier this week. The Sooners had a 41-28 lead on their home floor midway through the second half. Their offense then fell apart down the stretch when Butler went to a zone defense. Moser should be successful at OU, but this first season will continue to involve growing pains. That is part of the calculus when making an Arkansas Oklahoma prediction.
Here’s how the bookmakers have set the odds:
College Basketball odds: Arkansas-Oklahoma Odds
Arkansas: +1.5 (-114)
Oklahoma: -1.5 (-106)
Over: 143.5 (-110)
Under: 143.5 (-110)
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Why Arkansas Could Cover the Spread
The Hogs are the better team. Let's not overthink an Arkansas Oklahoma pick. The Hogs are unbeaten, they are coming off an Elite Eight season in which they were a No. 3 seed. They have great depth and can really bother a shaky Oklahoma offense which — as shown against Butler — does not always make great adjustments. Arkansas wins because it is always hungry. The Hogs might sometimes play sloppy ball, but they never fail to make effort plays, and they usually win 50-50 balls. That is a formula for success in a sport where teams often play with very uneven levels of energy from one game to the next. Arkansas has fewer of those kinds of fluctuations. It's why Musselman has been so successful in a short period of time.
Why Oklahoma Could Cover the Spread
The Sooners are mad after blowing that 13-point second-half lead to Butler. It might have been the case that Oklahoma was looking ahead to this Arkansas game ever so slightly. It happens all the time in college sports, and it could happen again here. This is something to keep in mind when studying the Arkansas Oklahoma odds.
Porter Moser is likely to be a great head coach at Oklahoma. He led Loyola-Chicago to the 2018 Final Four and brought the Ramblers to the Sweet 16 this past season. He knocked off No. 1 seed Illinois in the Round of 32 and coached rings around Illini boss Brad Underwood. Moser might not have a complete team just yet, but OU did beat Florida at home earlier this season and could certainly pounce on another SEC team in Norman, a few years before Oklahoma formally joins the SEC.
Final Arkansas-Oklahoma Prediction & Pick
Arkansas is a proven team. Oklahoma is not yet a proven team. In a game which figures to be close, err on the side of the proven team. Arkansas is also getting a point, so if it's a one-point final, Arkansas covers no matter what.
Final Arkansas-Oklahoma Pick: +1.5
