Arkansas vs Arizona: 3 Player Props and Best Bet for Thursday, March 26

The Sweet 16 tips off on Thursday with four tremendous matchups. Perhaps one of the best is in the West region, where the fourth-seeded Arkansas Razorbacks (28-8) face the top-ranked Arizona Wildcats (34-2) in San Jose.

The Razorbacks’ path to the Sweet 16 featured a pair of double-digit seeds. Arkansas took care of Hawai’i in the opening round before winning a tight contest against 12th-seeded High Point to advance.

After dominating the Big 12 this season, Arizona made quick work of 16th-seeded Long Island in its opening-round contest. The Wildcats clawed past a pesky Utah State in the Round of 32, defeating the Mountain West school 78-66 on Sunday.

Both teams enter this game on long winning streaks after winning their respective conference tournaments. Will the Razorbacks upend the Wildcats in this SEC versus Big 12 matchup? We’ll cover that and provide bettors with our top three player props for this Sweet 16 game.

Arizona Wildcats’ Brayden Burries OVER 22.5 Pts + Rebs

Brayden Burries is the first of three freshmen we’ll cover in this article. The Arizona guard is an elite player, averaging 16.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.5 assists for the Wildcats during the regular season.

He’s been just as active in the postseason. In the opening rounds, Burries has averaged 17 points and seven rebounds. Expect more of the same against Arkansas. Take the 6-foot-4 guard to cover his combination prop bet line.

Arkansas Razorbacks’ Darius Acuff Jr To Record 6 Assists (-325)

Arkansas head coach John Calipari is the point guard whisperer. That’s apparent after watching his latest prodigy – freshman Darius Acuff Jr. – tear up the NCAA this season. The 6-foot-3 guard ranked seventh in the country by scoring 23.3 points per contest.

What bettors may not realize is that his assists per game (6.5) ranked 13th in the nation, too. Acuff handed out 11 assists against Vanderbilt in the SEC Championship game, adding that to an impressive 30-point outburst.

Arizona will attempt to slow him down on Thursday. Expect the Wildcats to pressure the point guard, forcing him to look around the floor for other options. That’s why he’ll record at least six assists on Thursday to cover this prop wager total.

Arizona Wildcats’ Koa Peat OVER 14.5 Points

The madness of March can be a trying time for freshmen. Arizona forward Koa Peat has been an exception to that rule. He recorded 21 points against Houston in the Big 12 championship game, proving that he’s cut from a different cloth.

In the NCAA Tournament, Peat has scored 14 and 15 points, respectively, in the first two contests. Arkansas allowed opposing bigs to score at least 15 points in both of their opening round games. That’s why bettors should take Peat to cover his scoring prop line on Thursday.

Best Bet: Arkansas (+7.5)

Arizona has been one of the nation’s top teams throughout the season, earning the top spot after starting the year 23-0. The Wildcats haven’t lost a game since Valentine’s Day, dropping an overtime decision to Texas Tech.

There’s no reason to believe this game will be different. The reason bettors should pick Arkansas is the Razorbacks have lost by double-digit margins only twice this season. Expect this to be a close battle that Arizona wins by a razor-thin margin.