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Dayton defeated Nevada in round one to advance
Arizona beat Long Beach State to advance
Arizona is the second seed in the West Region
The Dayton Flyers will look to go on another miracle run against Arizona as they did against Nevada. Arizona comes into this second-round matchup as a 9.5-point favorite over the Flyers.
The Wildcats are one of the favorites to win the NCAA Tournament. Arizona has come up short in the past few seasons, but they have a solid roster in 2024.
The Flyers are the team in their way, and Dayton has much momentum coming into this contest. Dayton ended their game in the first round on a 20-4 run to complete an epic comeback.
It would be shocking to see Dayton win this game. Here, we will break down the matchup and answer if we think the Flyers can shock the world.
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Dayton is one of the mid-major teams that has value in the market. The Flyers had one of the most prolific Cinderella stories in decades back in 2014. They made it all the way to the Elite 8 as an 11 seed. We believe this year’s team behind DaRon Holmes II is more talented.
The Flyers finished their season with a 25-7 record, which puts them third in the Atlantic 10 conference. Dayton has won with its defense all season.
Dayton’s defense ranks 27th in the country, and it has helped them win games. They only gave up 66.1 points per game this season. The Flyers also rank 29th in field goal percentage with 47.7%.
Holmes leads the Flyers out onto the court. Holmes has led the team in scoring all season with a massive 20.3 points per game. Those are significant numbers for a team that only scores an average of 74.4 points per game.
This is certainly one of the most energetic teams in the tournament, and they are very fun to watch as well. If they can get through Arizona, they will play the winner of the Baylor vs. Clemson contest.
Arizona has been a March Madness disappointment. However, they have the talent to be victorious. Arizona will look to advance to the Sweet 16, but it won’t be easy against Dayton's gut-wrenching defense.
Arizona finished the season with a 26-8 record and again locked up the Pac-12 Championship. It’ll be interesting to see if the Wildcats can handle the pressure as we get deeper into the tournament.
The Wildcats are still one of the best teams in the country, statistically. They rank third in the country in points per game and first in the country in rebounds per game.
Along with Dayton, Arizona also comes into this matchup with great field goal percentages of 48.7%.
Arizona’s top scorer, Caleb Love, will look to carry his team to the second weekend of the tournament. Love averages 18.1 points, 3.4 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game.
On Wednesday against Long Beach State, Love recorded his second double-double of the season and his second in three weeks. He seems to be heating up with the possibility of a run at the title.
The Wildcats have a few issues that they have to block out to overcome Dayton. Arizona could be in trouble if this game comes down to free throws at the end.
PICK: Dayton +9.5 (-110) at FanDuel Sportsbook
Dayton is always a risk when they enter the tournament, but Arizona has been on the wrong side of history.
Dayton will be too much for the Wildcats to handle, making this game extremely close. The 9.5 points are way too many to resist, so we recommend taking the number.
When: Saturday, March 23rd @ 12:45 PM ET
Where: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
TV: CBS
Streaming: March Madness App
Tanner Kern has been working in the betting industry since 2020. He currently is a social media content creator at DraftKings and contributes to multiple sites in addition to WSN, including Forbes and VSiN. He is also the cohost of the podcast Ride the Line at WSN.
More info on Tanner Kern
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