Arkansas Razorbacks NCAA Tournament Betting Odds, Preview

By Kody Malstrom | Apr 13, 2026, 10:29am

With National Player of the Year candidate Darius Acuff Jr. leading the way, the Arkansas Razorbacks enter the NCAA Tournament as a dangerous No. 4 seed capable of taking down any opponent.

Arkansas (26-8) survived the minefield of the SEC Tournament with four straight wins to move up from a No. 5 to a No. 4 seed per most bracketology models.

John Calipari is coaching in the Big Dance for the 24th team with six Final Four berths under his belt. The veteran coach is looking to take Arkansas to the Final Four for the first time since 1995. The Razorbacks have to navigate a brutal West Regional bracket led by No. 1 Arizona, a popular pick to win it all this spring.

First up for the Razorbacks is a matchup with No. 13 Hawaii (24-8) in the first round at Portland’s Moda Center Thursday at 4:25 p.m. ET with TBS on the broadcast.

Below we take a look at the best odds for Arkansas men’s basketball at BetSaracen in terms of their chances to make a run in the NCAA Tournament.

BetSaracen – The Number One Sportsbook For Arkansas Bettors

Arkansas Razorbacks First-Round Matchup Analysis

The Razorbacks are heavy favorites of 15.5 points in the first round against Hawaii. The Rainbow Warriors finished second in the Big West Conference and beat UC Irvine in the conference final. They are led by skilled 7-footer Isaac Johnson and have tons of size with four other rotation players listed at 6-foot-7 or taller, so Trevon Brazile has to stay out of foul trouble and control the glass.

With Hawaii’s size comes a lack of speed and that makes Acuff Jr. a complete mismatch for the Rainbow Warriors backcourt. Not to mention the problems created by Meleek Thomas and Billy Richmond III, or the potential for D.J. Wagner to get hot off the bench. Hawaii posted one of the worst assist to turnover ratios (0.961) in the country with a 16.5% turnover rate, and that is unsustainable in the Big Dance. Look for Arkansas to get out and run in a game with a high 160.5-point implied total.

Arkansas Razorbacks to Make The Sweet 16?

As a No. 4 seed, Arkansas (-150) is expected to win two games to make the Sweet 16. If the Razorbacks are able to get past Hawaii in the first round, they will tangle with No. 5 Wisconsin (24-10) or No. 12 High Point (30-4).

The Badgers are 9.5-point favorites in their first-round matchup. If they advance, we could have a fantastic battle between Acuff Jr. and his backcourt mates and Wisconsin’s guard duo of Nick Boyd and John Blackwell.

With that tandem leading the way, Wisconsin posted the eighth-best assist to turnover ratio (1.786) and averaged the third-most made 3-pointers (11.8) in the NCAA this year. Wisconsin used that guard play to take down three teams ranked in the AP Top 10 at the time, so the Badgers aren’t going to be intimidated.

High Point won a program-best 30 games this year and is back in the dance after losing (75-63) in the first round to No. 4 Purdue last March. Per ESPN, High Point is the only 12-seed with a 20% or better chance to win their first-round matchup this year, so it’s possible Arkansas meets a Cinderella in the second round.

Arkansas Razorbacks to Make The Final Four?

The Razorbacks went 8-8 straight up this season against Quad 1 opponents, compared to 8-0 against Quad 2 opponents, so it’s fair to question how far they can advance as the field is whittled down to exclusively elite teams.

Arkansas is +900 to make the Final Four. The Razorbacks would most likely have to down No. 1 Arizona (32-2) in the Sweet 16 to have a chance for the West Regional crown. Arizona has a massive size advantage over most teams with 7-foot-2 Lithuanian Motiejus Krivas pounding the offensive glass and big freshmen Koa Peat and Ivan Kharchenkov creating mismatches against most opponents. Plus the Wildcats have Big 12 Player of the Year Jaden Bradley leading their backcourt.

If Acuff Jr. leads the Razorbacks past that loaded roster, his squad could be short underdogs or even favorites against the other representative in the bracket. Third-seeded Gonzaga might get Braden Huff (knee) back in time for the Sweet 16. Purdue is a disciplined and experienced No. 2 seed led by another great guard, Braden Smith, and BYU superstar AJ Dybansta is lurking as the leader of a dangerous No. 6 seed.

Arkansas Razorbacks to Win The National Title?

Arkansas is getting 1,000 to 1 odds to win it all at BetSaracen. While he might not be the top overall pick in the NBA draft, it’s hard to argue against Acuff Jr. as the best guard in the NCAA right now, so anything is possible if he gets on a roll and his teammates slot perfectly into their roles. Taking down Arizona in the Sweet 16 would be a massive feat and there’s no telling how far the Razorbacks could ride that momentum.

Coach Cal’s NCAA Tournament History

Calipari is in his second year with Arkansas after leading Kentucky for 15 years, winning the NCAA Title in 2012. Coach Cal is officially 57-22 in the Big Dance with two appearances vacated due to NCAA violations. That asterisk cost him two of his Final Four runs, but he’s proven he can take his talent deep, as he’s made it to the final weekend with Memphis, UMass, and Kentucky.

The New Jersey native took Arkansas to the Sweet 16 last year after a series of uninspiring finishes with Kentucky in the post-COVID years. His last trip to the Elite Eight came in 2019 when the Wildcats (as a No. 5 seed) fell in overtime to No. 14 Auburn. Two years prior, his Wildcats lost as a No. 1 seed to No. 5 North Carolina.

BetSaracen Sportsbook Offerings For SEC Tournament & March Madness

Right now, BetSaracen has lines up for the NCAA Tournament with futures available on March Madness. They have a vast selection of lines, with a focus on local teams like the Arkansas Razorbacks. They are also currently accepting signups for their NCAA Tournament Survivor Pool, a new format that allows users to pick one team during each round of March Madness and advance each week that team wins, no repeating teams!

Local Markets

Arkansas to make the Round of 32: -1700
Arkansas to make the Sweet 16: -150
Arkansas to make the Elite 8: +450
Arkansas to make the Final 4: +900
Arkansas to win March Madness: +10000

There are plenty of more options on the BetSaracen app.

Kody Malstrom

Kody is a professional sports bettor and sports betting journalist with eight years of experience in the industry. He covers a wide range of sports, including NFL, NCAAF, NBA, NCAAB, NHL, MLB, and UFC. What started as a side gig has turned into a full time job, spending a majority of his time staring at odds screens and market movement. When away from the computer, Kody enjoys spending his time outdoors relaxing at the beach or golfing with friends.