(2) Arizona vs. (7) Dayton: Betting Tips, Prediction, and Betting Odds

Dayton will take on a monster in the second round in No. 2 Arizona. This matchup appears one-sided as Arizona has been an NCAA powerhouse this year and Dayton has had a good but not great season behind a star player in Daron Holmes. Let’s look at how these two teams matchup in this second-round game.

Dayton was a team that many people believed was seeded too high at seven. They ended up being underdogs to No. 10 Nevada but were able to pull off the win in that game behind a wild comeback. Dayton was down 17 points and Nevada took Holmes out of the game with double teams but that opened up the three for Dayton that they were able to knock down.

For Arizona, they played a close game with Long Beach State in the first half, which was unexpected. In the final minutes of the first half they were tied up but then built a six-point lead heading into the half. From there they dominated Long Beach State, especially defensively. They likely will have a similar advantage against Dayton. Arizona are large favorites in this game but Dayton can score in bunches and appear to never be out of any game as we saw in the first round.

Arizona -9.5 is available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

While Dayton completed a big comeback win, I don’t expect them to be able to stay with Arizona on either side of the ball. Arizona should be more fit to guard Dayton’s 20+ point per game scorer Holmes down low without double teaming and also be able to close out on their threes. Defense is what may put Arizona over the top.

A comparable team that Dayton has played this year to Arizona is Houston, who they lost to by 14 earlier this season. Arizona has looked great getting out in transition from big defensive stops and knocking down threes. Dayton doesn’t appear to have anyone who can defend these electric guards of Caleb Love and Kylan Boswell.

Over 149.5 Total Points is available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

Arizona is the reason why this total is so high. It’s a line that 70% of their games this year have gone over. They are the 3rd-highest scoring team in the nation at 87.9 points per game. Their first game in the tournament totalled 150 points but they were also 20-point favorites and ended up winning by exactly 20. With this game expected to be closer, this total should go over again.

Dayton has played in a lot of low-scoring games this year. This one may have to be different. It would appear that this is an extremely tough matchup for Dayton and Arizona should be able to score at about their average of high 80s in points. At just a 9.5-point spread, Arizona will need just 80 points while Dayton scores around 70, which seems like a probable outcome and why this one should hit on the over.

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