Wofford Terriers vs. Arkansas Razorbacks: Betting, March Madness Analysis, Pick

No. 12 Wofford enters this NCAA tournament with 15 wins and 11 covers in its last 16 games, while No. 5 Arkansas is only 3-3 straight up over its last six games and 3-6 against the spread over its last nine.

The Razorbacks will try to avoid the upset when they take on the Terriers in this West region game on Thursday night in Jacksonville, Florida.

The Odds Shark computer predicts they will escape with a 73-71 final.

Opening Spread

The Razorbacks opened as seven-point favorites.

Why to Pick Wofford to Cover the Spread

The Terriers won the Southern Conference's regular-season title, then earned their invitation to the Big Dance by taking the conference tournament title as well, holding off upset-minded Furman in the championship game last week 67-64.

If not for that Wofford victory, this NCAA tournament would include a 12-21 team.

The Terriers are at this stage for the second straight season and fourth time in the last six seasons. Wofford owns an upset victory over North Carolina State this season and gave Duke a good game for a half at Cameron Indoor Stadium back on New Year's Eve.

The Terriers are fairly efficient on offense, shooting 46 percent from the floor on the season, and they're holding opponents to fewer than 60 points per game.

Why to Pick Arkansas to Cover the Spread

The Razorbacks finished a solid second in an SEC that sent five teams to the NCAA tournament this year. They also reached the championship game of the SEC tournament, where they lost to Kentucky for the second time in the last two weeks.

Arkansas is back at the Big Dance for the first time since 2008.

The Razorbacks own victories this season over AAC champion SMU and NCAA qualifiers Dayton and Ole Miss, in addition to two wins over a pretty good Georgia squad.

The Hogs like to push the tempo, averaging 78 points per game this season, so they'll be a good challenge for defensive-minded Wofford. If Arkansas can avoid the turnovers, get some easy baskets and make its free throws, it should be able to avoid the upset.

Smart Betting Pick

This looks like one of those perfect upset situations—the small conference underdog with a chip on its shoulder against a somewhat iffy major conference favorite. No. 12 seeds are also 10-5-1 ATS vs. fifth seeds over the last four NCAA tournaments.

So while Wofford might not pull the shocker outright, the smart money here still lies with the Terriers, plus the points.

Odds Shark Power Rankings

Wofford Terriers: No. 22

Arkansas Razorbacks: No. 152

March Madness Betting Trends

• Wofford closed the year on a 15-1 SU run.
• Arkansas went 10-3 SU over the final 13 games of the season.

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