Oral Roberts vs Arkansas Sweet Sixteen Pick and Best Odds

Your bracket was probably busted on the very first day of March Madness when No. 15 Oral Roberts stunned No. 2 Ohio State. The Buckeyes had gained some momentum as a dark horse title contender, but they were ousted by a little-known Golden Eagles team in the biggest upset of the tourney thus far.

Oral Roberts wasn’t done there, though. The team went on to take down No. 7 Florida in the round of 32 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time ever. The Golden Eagles face yet another uphill climb on Saturday when they take on No. 3 Arkansas. The Razorbacks are 11-point favorites here, which is the largest betting spread offered at sportsbooks for the entire weekend.

Oral Roberts vs Arkansas Moneyline Betting Odds

Team
Arkansas	-600
Oral Roberts	+460

Spread Betting Odds for Oral Roberts vs Arkansas

Team
Arkansas	-11.5 -110
Oral Roberts	+11.5 -110

Golden Eagles vs Razorbacks Over/Under Betting Odds

Team
Arkansas	O 157 -110
Oral Roberts	U 157 -110

Can Oral Roberts Stop Moses Moody?

We don’t typically think of Arkansas as a basketball powerhouse, but the program was able to attract a rare blue-chip prospect in freshman forward Moses Moody. Moody will be a surefire lottery pick if he enters the NBA draft this year, and with good reason. The 6’6″ swingman is Arkansas’ leading scorer (17.1 points per game), but this team has plenty of options on offense. All of Justin Smith (13.9), JD Notae (13.1), and Jalen Tate (10.5) averaged double-figures in scoring this season.

Eric Musselman has the Razorbacks playing a frenetic pace. Arkansas averaged the 12th-most possessions per game this season (76.9), which makes them a tough cover for unsuspecting defenses. The Razorbacks averaged nearly 65 shot attempts per game, which was also one of the highest totals in America. This should be an interesting matchup, especially considering Oral Roberts has shown a willingness to play fast, as well.

Moses Moody and Devo Davis are the only freshmen on teams in the Sweet Sixteen who have played 30+ minutes in each NCAA Tournament game so far. #wps

— JC Hoops (@JCHoopsPod) March 23, 2021

Arkansas finished ranked 37th in the nation in offensive rating (106.7 points per 100 possessions) during the regular season. The Razorbacks are justifiably favored in this one, but the big spread and lopsided moneyline make it a tough call from a betting perspective. We don’t often see double-digit spreads at this stage of the tournament. You’re also getting almost no bang for your buck if you opt for Arkansas at -635 on the moneyline. Considering what Oral Roberts did to Ohio State and Florida, taking a shot on a moneyline like that carries plenty of risk.

Abmas Leads the Way for ORU

The NCAA Tournament has introduced us to no shortage of random heroes in the past. Max Abmas isn’t a name familiar to many, but this guy may well be playing in the NBA at this time next year. Abmas is the straw that stirs the drink for Oral Roberts offensively. The 6’1″ sophomore averaged 24.5 points per game this season on high volume and good efficiency. He was the nation’s leading scorer while connecting on nearly 48 percent of his shots and 43 percent of his looks from long range.

Abmas has shown the ability to get buckets from all three levels, which is a unique skill for a player of his size. The Texas native tortured Ohio State on his way to 29 points in the opening round, and he followed that up with another 26 points and seven assists against Florida in the last game. Assuming he’s able to stay out of foul trouble, Abmas likely won’t come off the floor on Saturday. He played in all 45 minutes of the OT affair against the Buckeyes, and all 40 minutes against Florida, too.

Max Abmas is cold.

🥶 29 Pts

🥶 5 Rebs

🥶 3 Ast

🥶 Played all 45 minutes

🥶 Led 15-seed Oral Roberts to an upset over 2-seed Ohio State

Making a name for himself in March. pic.twitter.com/HR49u7RCdW

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 19, 2021

Oral Roberts ranked a respectable 40th in pace this season and 45th in offensive efficiency. ORU was also one of the best over bets in the nation this season. 17 of the Golden Eagles’ 25 games have hit the over, which is a conversion rate of 68 percent.

What’s the Best Bet?

As mentioned, the huge spread makes this a tricky game to wager on. Oral Roberts is certainly a viable bet to cover, especially given how easily and consistently Abmas is able to score. If Arkansas can’t slow him down, the Golden Eagles can clearly keep this game competitive enough.

Arkansas just has more firepower. If Abmas struggles, ORU doesn’t have a reliable secondary option that can help them stay afloat. This game has the potential to get out of hand if Arkansas can keep Abmas under wraps, so both sides of the spread feel fairly risky.

The best way to approach this one is probably on the over/under. The total of 158.5 points here is the highest of any game this weekend, but there is still upside to be had in the over. Oral Roberts has been a profitable “over” bet all year, and Arkansas’ breakneck pace leads to plenty of high-scoring affairs, as well. Take the over on 158.5 in this one.