Ron Baker wants to leave the Shockers as champion.

How To Bet The Arizona vs Wichita State March Madness R64 Odds

Written by on March 16, 2016

While most of the teams that make it into the Tournament can start preparing for their opening round opponent the moment the match-ups are announced, there are a few that have to sweat it out a little longer. 4 teams have to sit and wait for the outcome of the First Four games before getting to work, and you can bet that they will have one team that they would much sooner play than another. The Arizona Wildcats were placed in that situation this year, as they had to wait to see who prevailed in the Vanderbilt/Wichita State game. I’m obviously not privy to the conversations at the Arizona basketball facility, but I would bet anything they were hoping for Vanderbilt. They did not get what they wanted, though, as it was the Wichita State Shockers who ended up winning in rather easy fashion. The Wildcats will now meet up in the round of 64 in a game that might well deliver one of the upsets of the opening round. You can wager on this one by heading over to the MyBookie.ag March Madness betting page.

How To Bet The Arizona Vs Wichita State R64 March Madness Odds TV & Game Info

What: Wichita State Shockers (25-8) at Arizona Wildcats (25-8) When: Thursday, March 17, 2016 Start Time: 9:20 PM ET Where: Providence, Rhode Island Stadium: Dunkin’ Donuts Center Spread: Arizona -1 Moneyline:  Arizona -125 Game Total:  N.A Watch: TNT

Why bet on the Arizona Wildcats

The Arizona Wildcats (25-8, 12-6) had a fantastic regular season, but ended up a little disappointed after losing in OT to Oregon in the Pac 12 Championship. When you consider that the Ducks are one of the four #1 seeds in the Tournament, perhaps that loss should not be considered so disappointing after all. It is not going to be an easy road out of the South Region for Arizona, and Wichita State may well be the one team that they did not want to have to face in the opening round. The Wildcats are much better offensively than the Shockers, but you have to wonder if they are good enough to get past what is a fabulous Shockers defense. The Wildcats are averaging 81.2 PPG, and are giving up 69.0 PPG.

Why bet on the Wichita State Shockers

There is always a lot of debate about the rankings heading into the tournament, and there are plenty of people who believe that Wichita State (24-8, 16-2) should have a higher ranking than the #11 they were dealt in the South region. The main reason for that line of thinking is because of the high level of defense that this team brings to the table. There isn’t anyone that believes this team is good enough to make a deep run, especially given their struggles on the offensive side of things, but there is the belief that the defense is more than good enough to steal a game in the opening round. The Shockers are averaging 73.2 PPG, and are giving up 59.3 PPG.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

While a win for the Shockers here would not go down as a major upset, it would certainly be enough to blow up a lot of brackets. Hopefully mine will still be intact, though, as I have Wichita State winning this one. Arizona Wildcats 67 Wichita State Shockers 68