New Mexico State Vs. Arkansas Odds, Picks, and Predictions (3/19/22)

There were certainly not that many people who predicted that the New Mexico State Aggies would upset UCONN in the Round of 64, despite it being one of those seemingly cursed No. 5 seed versus No. 12 seed matchups. The Aggies won pretty convincingly, too, after shooting the lights out from deep. If they can replicate that production from three, they may be able to keep this game close against Arkansas and perhaps, even win. Ironically, there were a lot of brackets that had Vermont upsetting Arkansas in the Round of 64, so this matchup is doubly surprising to many people. Check out the picks and predictions section at the bottom of this article for my analysis and which team I will be backing!

New Mexico State Vs. Arkansas Betting Odds

New Mexico State Betting Odds

What a successful season the Aggies have had this year. It got even better for them when they upset the UCONN Huskies, who many thought could make a Sweet 16 fairly easily. I even thought that an Elite 8 run was not out of the realm of possibility for the Huskies. New Mexico State only ranks 74th in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency margin; however, it is higher on the list than two other teams who are still in the tournament (Richmond Spiders and Saint Peter’s Peacocks.) The Aggies have won four straight but dropped games to Chicago State and S.F. Austin just a few weeks ago. They will need to shoot nearly as well from behind the arc (65% against UCONN) to stand a chance against Arkansas, but anything can happen!

Arkansas Betting Odds

Arkansas has had an intense schedule in its past nine games but has still managed to win seven of them, including against the Kentucky Wildcats, Tennessee Volunteers, and LSU Tigers. The Razorbacks’ two losses were against Tennessee (on the road) and Texas A&M, who got extremely hot at the end of the season. Essentially, teams do not want to see the Razorbacks in the tournament right now. KenPom has Arkansas ranked 18th in his adjusted efficiency margin and adjusted defensive efficiency.

New Mexico State Vs. Arkansas Picks & Prediction

All bets are off in March. Still, I feel like Arkansas should pull this win out. The Razorbacks have won seven of their past nine, and those two losses were to many higher-ranked teams than the Aggies. Even though Arkansas barely squeaked out a win against Vermont, I still like its chances. In my opinion, Vermont was a hotter team than New Mexico State, so Arkansas should win, and I believe it will cover at least six points.

The point total sits at 138 points, which is pretty surprising to me. The Razorbacks have been in seven straight games where the point total has eclipsed that number. Meanwhile, the Aggies proved against UCONN, when they scored 70, that they can put points on the board if the pace is a bit faster. In most situations, I like the over here unless both teams start off ice cold, which is always a possibility.

March Madness Bracket