Half of the party has been sent home as the Round of 32 begins, and we are watching the battle between the Dayton Flyers and the Arizona Wildcats live from the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. We're here to share our college basketball odds series, make a Dayton-Arizona prediction, and pick while showing you how to watch.
Dayton rallied to stun the Nevada Wolf Pack 63-60 on Thursday at the Delta Center. At halftime, Nevada led 34-25. Then, Dayton trailed by 17 with 7:39 left in the game. The Flyers found a way to rally from that deficit to stun the Wolf Pack. With 38 seconds left, Nate Santos hit a layup to win the game. Daron Holmes II led with 18 points while shooting 5 for 8. Also, Koby Brea had 15 points while shooting 5 for 9. Enoch Cheeks had the game-winning steal and scored eight points.
Arizona defeated the Long Beach State 49ers 85-65 to advance to the Round of 32. They led 41-35 at halftime and put it away in the second half. Kylan Boswell led the Wildcats with 20 points and eight assists while shooting 8 for 19. Meanwhile, Caleb Love had 18 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 6 for 17. Pelle Larsson added 15 points while shooting 5 for 11. Likewise, Keshad Johnson had 13 points while shooting 5 for 9. Oumar Ballo finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds while making all four shots.
Arizona shot 41.7 percent from the floor while shooting 37.1 percent from the three-point line. Also, they held Long Beach State to 33.3 percent, including 17.6 percent from the three-point line. They also forced 12 turnovers.
It is the 19th appearance for Dayton in the NCAA Tournamemt. However, they have not made it past the second round since 2014. The Flyers look to make some history as they face a heavily-favored Wildcats team.
Arizona has won one NCAA championship, which happened in 1997. Also, they were the runner-up in 2021. It is their 38th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and are looking to get that elusive second title.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
March Madness Odds: Dayton-Arizona Odds
Dayton: +9.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +350
Arizona: -9.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -465
Over: 149.5 (-110)
Under: 149.5 (-110)
How to Watch March Madness
Time: 12:45 ET/9:45 PM PT
TV: CBS
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Dayton Will Cover The Spread/Win
Holmes leads the team, averaging 20.2 points per game while shooting 55.1 percent from the floor during the season. Now, he looks to keep the momentum going against Arizona. Santos averages 12.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting 48.2 percent from the field. Ultimately, he produced the game-winning layup. Brea has been solid this season, averaging 11 points per game while shooting 51.4 percent from the hardwood. Moreover, he shot well against Dayton and will look to replicate those stats. Kobe Elvis averaged 9.6 points per game. Yet, he did not do much against Nevada and would like to produce more.
Dayton will cover the spread if their best players can hit their shots. Then, they must clamp down on defense and prevent the Wildcats from getting hot down the stretch.
Why Arizona Will Cover The Spread/Win
Arizona was the top seed in the Pac-12 for most of the season until they faded in the Pac-12 Tournament. Regardless, they are still one of the best teams in college basketball and will look to replicate their performance.
Love is their best player, averaging 18.7 points per game during the season. However, he did not shoot well against Long Beach State and must take better chances. Ballo averaged 13.1 points per game during the season. Now, he would like to keep scoring while also replicating the four blocks he had against the 49ers. Larsson averaged 13 points per game. Yet, he got into foul trouble against Long Beach State and needs to be more careful. Johnson averaged 11.9 points per game during the season. Likewise, he also endured foul trouble. Boswell averaged 10.2 points per game. Ultimately, he would love to continue the momentum.
Arizona did not win the board battle, but it's usually been their bread and butter this season. Instead, they relied on stingy defense, which helped generate 10 steals and eight turnovers.
Arizona will cover the spread if they can find open shots and get solid shots. Then, they need to continue playing tough defense and not allow Dayton to get back in the game.
Final Dayton-Arizona Prediction & Pick
Dayton should have been eliminated on Wednesday against Nevada. Yet, they recovered and shocked Nevada. Arizona played well enough to advance to the Round of 32. Now, they need to keep their foot on the gas. The Wildcats are the favorites here because they have more talent and experience. Therefore, expect them to come out of the gates and make some magic happen as they advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
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Final Dayton-Arizona Prediction & Pick: Arizona: -9.5 (-110)
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