It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Lipscomb-Arkansas prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Lipscomb-Arkansas.
It is the beginning of a new era of Arkansas basketball. John Calipari begins his tenure as the Head Hog in Fayetteville after a decade and a half at Kentucky. Calipari won a national title in Lexington in 2012. He then made the national championship game in 2014 and took an unbeaten UK team to the 2015 Final Four before its dream of an unbeaten season died in the national semifinals versus Wisconsin. Calipari was at the top of his game and had the Kentucky program rolling. It was hard if not impossible to imagine that the 2015 Final Four would be Cal's last Final Four at Kentucky. He made the Elite Eight in 2017 and 2019, but lost both times. That 2019 loss was as a No. 2 seed to No. 5 seed Auburn. Calipari never seemed to recover from that failure. His 2022 Kentucky team was seeded second but lost to No. 15 seed Saint Peter's in the first round. Then Kentucky bowed out of the 2023 NCAA Tournament in the second round. The Wildcats gained a No. 3 seed in the 2024 edition of March Madness and were bounced in the first round by No. 14 seed Oakland. It was clear that Calipari had failed to replicate the high standard he had set from 2010 through 2019 at Kentucky, when he took the Wildcats to four Final Fours and seven Elite Eights.
With the Kentucky fan base growing restless, and with Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman going west to take the open head coaching position at USC, Calipari sensed an opportunity to start fresh. He has been a successful college basketball coach for more than 30 years. His time at Kentucky had run its course. This is a new chance to do something special in his career. Arkansas has not been to the Final Four since it reached the 1995 national championship game. If Calipari can lead the Razorbacks back to college basketball's promised land, it will be a feather in his cap and a late-career reminder of how good Calipari has been these past three decades.
Here are the Lipscomb-Arkansas College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Lipscomb-Arkansas Odds
Lipscomb: +14.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +800
Arkansas: -14.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -1400
Over: 161.5 (-110)
Under: 161.5 (-110)
How to Watch Lipscomb vs Arkansas
Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN Plus
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why Lipscomb Will Cover The Spread/Win
John Calipari should be able to win a lot of games at Arkansas, but he is just starting out with a new roster in a new situation. The Hogs might not get off to a good start in this game. They might need a whole half to find their bearings. If Lipscomb, a solid mid-major program over the past several years, can play the first half close to even, it would then just need to avoid getting completely blown out in the second half to cover the spread. Lipscomb could go to halftime down two, and then it might lose the second half by 10 points. Lipscomb would lose by 12, which would indeed cover the spread.
Why Arkansas Will Cover The Spread/Win
Arkansas' talent will be too much for Lipscomb. The Razorbacks will be at home and will play with a lot of energy. The team will be excited to show Calipari and the home fans what it can do.
Final Lipscomb-Arkansas Prediction & Pick
The first game of a new coach's tenure is hard to predict. Stay away from this game.
Final Lipscomb-Arkansas Prediction & Pick: Lipscomb +14.5
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