Arkansas vs. San Diego State Prediction and Odds for Wednesday, November 23 (Go Under in Top 25 Nightcap from Maui)
By Ben Heisler
Two top 20 teams in the country are licking their wounds from tough losses in Maui Tuesday night as they match up in the late game at Lahaina Civic Center for the final game of Wednesday's Maui Invitational showdown.
The No. 9 ranked Arkansas Razorbacks come off a hard-fought 90-87 loss to the Creighton Bluejays on Tuesday, allowing by far and away the most points they've given up all season. The Hogs had not allowed more than 58 points prior to last night.
Meanwhile, the No. 14 Arizona Wildcats got back to their offensive explosion in the second half against a very talented No. 17 San Diego State Aztecs defense, scoring 50 points in the second half en route to an 87-70 victory.
It's defense vs. defense in the nightcap from Maui. How do the oddsmakers see it playing out?
Let's dive into the latest odds for tonight:
Arkansas vs. San Diego State Odds
Arkansas vs. San Diego State Prediction and Pick
If it's defense they want, than defense they shall receive!
Both teams entered last night ranked in the top 10 of KenPom's adjusted defensive efficiency rankings, with San Diego State moving down to No. 14 following their loss to Arizona.
Now that they're playing their third game in as many days, I don't think we'll see another 87 point outing out of the Razorbacks tonight. Baylor Schierman, Ryan Kalkbrenner and Ryan Nembhard all finished with 20-plus points as Arkansas shoot 61.5% from the field, and 7-14 from 3-point range. That's out of character for the Razorbacks, who shoot just 32.2% as a team from beyond the arc.
Meanwhile, San Diego State plays fast, averaging 15.1 seconds per possession length (19th-fastest in college basketball), but after running with the Wildcats all night, they ran out of gas in the second half. Now they play one of the most physical defenses in the country in Arkansas who rank fourth in adjusted efficiency, and 14th in steal percentage with a high intensity all over the court.
The over/under is set at 144.5 or lower at most books because of how fast both teams play. Don't expect the same type of pace we've seen the last two days after the intense battles from Tuesday.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.