Jacob Kupferman SUSA Icon Sport
Arizona vs Dayton: West Region – second round
The Arizona Wildcats will take on the Dayton Flyers in the second round of the West Region at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah on Saturday afternoon.
The Wildcats are ready to go deep in the tournament
The Arizona Wildcats are ranked ninth in the nation and proved that they are a serious candidate to reach the Final Four. In the opening round of the NCAA tournament, Arizona defeated Long Beach State 85-65. Kylan Boswell was the best player on the team with 20 points and 8 assists while Oumar Biallo had a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds. They managed to bounce back after losing the Pac-12 semifinal against Oregon. The Wildcats are third in the nation, scoring 87.9 points per game, and lead the NCAA with 18.6 assists per game. Caleb Love is the best player on the team, averaging 18.1 points per game for the season.
Dayton barely survived the first round
The Dayton Flyers came back from dead in the opening round against Nevada. They were down by 17 points with less than 8 minutes to go but managed to come back for a 63-60 win. Daron Holmes II had a great game with 18 points and 9 rebounds. Previously, they lost 65-57 to Duquesne in the A-10 quarterfinal. The Flyers are third in the nation, shooting 40.2% from three-point territory, and 28th, shooting 47.7% from the field. Holmes II leads the team with 20.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
Betting Trends
Arizona is 21-13-0 ATS for the season, 3-4-0 ATS on neutral site and 15-10-0 ATS following a win. Dayton is 16-15-1 ATS for the season, 4-2-0 ATS on neutral site and 10-13-1 ATS following a loss.
Prediction and Conclusion
Arizona is coming off a solid performance in the opening round, leaving Long Beach State with only 33% shooting from the field. Dayton felt like the season was over, but they made one of the greatest comebacks in NCAA tournament history. Both teams are very solid on the offensive end, but the Wildcats have a much better roster. Dayton will not be able to keep up that pace, which will take the Wildcats to an -8.5-point win.
