Gonzaga Bulldogs: Sweet 16 vs. Arkansas – tv, odds, injuries, and more
PNWS presents what you need to know for Thursday’s Sweet 16 matchup between the Gonzaga Bulldogs and Arkansas Razorbacks.
Gonzaga basketball fans didn’t have to wait long to watch their team face another quality opponent. Thursday’s contest against fourth-seeded Arkansas is another big test for Gonzaga on their quest to win the school’s first National Championship.
Who: Gonzaga Bulldogs (28–3) vs. Arkansas Razorbacks (27–8)
Where: Chase Center – San Francisco, California
When: Thursday, March 24, 2022 – 4:09 PM PDT.
TV: CBS. Announcers: Ian Eagle, Jim Spanarkel, and Jamie Erdahl.
National Radio: Westwood One. Announcers: Ryan Radtke and Steve Lavin.
Line: Gonzaga -9.5. Over/Under: 154.5 (Odds Shark).
Injuries: Gonzaga – Out: Dominick Harris (foot), Kaden Perry (back). Arkansas – None.
Interesting Trends:
The Gonzaga Bulldogs lost only once since December 4. Going back to 2016, Gonzaga won 9 of their last 10 games vs. SEC schools. The one loss was against Alabama on December 4, 2021. Additionally, the Zags haven’t lost a game in the month of March since 2019.
In their last 20 games, the Razorbacks are 17–3 straight up and 14–5–1 against the spread. They haven’t covered in three straight. Arkansas has done well lately in the over department as they exceeded the point total in 7 of their last 8 games.
Outlook
Here we are at another Sweet 16. The road hasn’t been easy. Gonzaga, the tournament’s number one overall seed, hasn’t performed as expected for much of their first two games against Georgia State and Memphis.
Un-Zag-like
There are three big reasons for Gonzaga not dominating their opponents in the first two rounds. Number one is free throws. So far, the Bulldogs are a combined 29 of 54 (53.7 percent) from the line. As they advance in the tournament, GU can’t afford to give away points.
The second is offensive rebounds. They gave up 12 offensive boards to both Georgia State and Memphis, two teams they should have easily handled on the glass, especially with Drew Timme and Chet Holmgren. Up to this point, Gonzaga gave up 12 or more offensive rebounds only three times this season, and in two of them (Dixie State and North Alabama), it happened because the Zags cleared out their bench at the end of games.
Lastly, we’ll call it athleticism/transition. Gonzaga struggles against athletic teams who can push the ball in transition. Memphis was a prime example. The Tigers played physically by using their athleticism to defend, and once the Tigers got possession, they got the ball upcourt fast.
While those things are alarming, it’s far from all doom and gloom. Timme has taken his game to another level in the tournament. It took half the game, but he asserted his will on Memphis and was a difference-maker.
Point guard Andrew Nembhard has done a great job taking care of the ball. In the Bulldogs’ first two tournament games, he has 16 assists and only 1 turnover. Additionally, when he saw his teammates struggle to score against Memphis, Nembhard stepped up his offense with 23 points, including 5 of 10 from 3-point range.
Hog-tied
Arkansas hasn’t exactly been world-beaters lately, either. They won their first two March Madness games against Vermont and New Mexico State by a combined nine points. Against Vermont, the Razorbacks trailed with under 10 minutes to go and just a two-point lead with 14 seconds left.
It wasn’t much different in Round 2 against New NMSU, other than both teams struggled to score. Once again, the Razorbacks had a narrow two-point lead with 10 seconds remaining.
The Razorbacks have a talented trio of senior guards. At the top is JD Notae. The First Team All-SEC player averages 18.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. Only once this season did Notae fail to score double-digits. He’s the engine that makes the Hogs run.
Aside from 6-10 Jaylin Williams, as a team, Arkansas doesn’t have much size. Williams, however, is a very formidable center. He was selected to the All-SEC First Team and All-SEC Defensive Team. Even so, the Zags can’t hesitate to pound the ball down low as they did against Memphis.
Related Story: Zags Wednesday – Practice those free throws
Enjoy the game.