The West Region in the 2022 NCAA Tournament is the only one to have gone chalk in the first two rounds, and the first game of the Sweet 16 is Thursday night from the West Region in San Francisco as No. 1 seed Gonzaga faces No. 4 Arkansas.

Arkansas and Gonzaga have met just once all-time, in the 2013 Maui Invitational and obviously no players are left from back then.

The Razorbacks (27-8) edged No. 14 Vermont 75-71 in Round 1 of this tournament and then edged No. 12 New Mexico State 53-48 in Round 2. Arkansas’ 53 points were the lowest tally ever for an SEC team that won an NCAA tournament game.

Au’Diese Toney capped the decisive second-half run with a one-handed, fast-break dunk with about six minutes left to launch the fourth-seeded Razorbacks into the Sweet 16 for a second consecutive year. Arkansas only made five second-half field goals (5-of-24) but was 16-of-18 at the free throw line in the second half.

Before all else, Nitrobetting takes a peek at important game details that help you lock in on the best picks. Below, you can find event information, team and player stats, and the latest College Basketball odds. We also have timely betting trends and predictions at your disposal.

Arkansas vs. Gonzaga 2022 March Madness Sweet 16 Game Information

We ain't done yet ? pic.twitter.com/ovbGl3ComN

— Gonzaga Basketball (@ZagMBB) March 20, 2022

• When: Thursday, March 24, 2022, 7:09 PM ET
• Where: Chase Center, San Francisco, CA
• TV: CBS
• Radio: KTTG 96.3 FM (Arkansas) / 1510 AM KGA (Gonzaga)
• Live Stream: March Madness Live
• NCAAB Betting Odds: Arkansas (+9.5) / Gonzaga (-9.5)

READ MORE: Texas Tech vs. Duke NCAAB Odds and Preview – March 24th, 2022

Why Bet on the Arkansas Razorbacks?

Arkansas leads the NCAA in both free throws made (613) and attempts (808). The Hogs were 22-of-25 at the line versus New Mexico State It marked the 12th time this season Arkansas has made at least 20 free throws and the 13th time the Hogs have shot over 80% at the line.

Hogs star and All-SEC pick JD Notae led all scorers with 18 points, while also matching the school record for steals in an NCAA Tournament game with a career-high eight. Also, previously having eight steals in NCAA Tournament game were Darrell Hawkins (1993 vs Holy Cross) and Alvin Robertson, who did it twice (1984 vs Virginia and 1983 vs Purdue). Jaylin Williams notched his second double-double in as many games and his 14th of the season with 10 points and an NCAA-Tournament, school-record 15 rebounds.

New Mexico State star and WAC Player of the Year Teddy Allen entered the game averaging 19.8 ppg and scored 37 in the first-round win over UConn. However, Toney held Allen to just 12 points on 5-of-16 shooting (2-of-6 from deep) with five coming inside the final 1:10. It is no small feat to hold the WAC’s top offensive team — or any Division I team, really — to 48 points. It is difficult, however, to go on a run in the NCAA tournament with limited 3-point shooting (30.5% this season).

The Razorbacks make their 13th all-time Sweet 16 and second consecutive appearance in the Sweet 16. It is the first team at the school to make back-to-back Sweet 16’s since making a record three straight in 1993, ’94 and ’95. The Hogs won in the Sweet 16 last year over Oral Roberts but then lost in the Elite Eight.

Why Bet on the Gonzaga Bulldogs?

While Gonzaga (28-3) remains the tournament favorite, the Zags were pushed hard in Round 1 for a while by No. 16 Georgia State and then trailed by 10 at halftime vs. No. 9 Memphis in Round 2 but won 82-78 as star Drew Timme had 21 of his 25 points in the second half. Andrew Nembhard added 23 points, Rasir Bolton scored 17 and Gonzaga never trailed after a basket from Timme and Bolton’s 3-pointer with 10 minutes remaining that made it 61-57. Timme made 10 of 16 shots and grabbed 14 rebounds.

Free-throw shooting continues to be a major concern for the Bulldogs. Gonzaga went 13 for 24 at the line after going 16 for 30 in the first round against Georgia State. It’s a seventh straight trip to the Sweet 16 for Gonzaga, the longest active streak in the nation and among the longest ever.

GU has the most wins in the NCAA Tournament since 2017, going 17-4, Michigan is next at 14-4. The Bulldogs’ 22 wins in the tournament since 2015 are also the most, with Villanova and North Carolina second at 18 and Duke at 16. GU plays in San Francisco in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.

Gonzaga is first in the nation in scoring offense (87.8), scoring margin (21.8), FG percentage (52.6) and defensive rebounds (32.13), second in two-point percentage (61.0), second in FG percentage defense (37.9), third in rebound margin (8.7), assists per game (18.4) and rebounds per game (41.7), fifth in assist-turnover ratio (1.6), sixth in blocked shots per game (5.9).

The Bulldogs are 16-9 all-time versus current members from the SEC, including a 90-67 victory over Auburn in its latest matchup with the league last season in Ft. Myers, Fla. Gonzaga has won eight of its last 10 against current SEC opponents.

Arkansas vs. Gonzaga Betting Trends

• Razorbacks are 4-0 ATS in the last 4 games as an underdog.
• Razorbacks are 9-3-1 ATS in the last 13 games following a straight-up win.
• The total went over in 7 of Arkansas’ last 8 games.
• Bulldogs are 1-3-1 ATS in the last 5 games following an ATS loss.
• Bulldogs are 0-4-1 ATS in the last 5 games overall.
• The total went over in 4 of Gonzaga’s last 6 games.

Arkansas vs. Gonzaga Expert Betting Predictions

Gonzaga 80, Arkansas 74.

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