Arkansas-Little Rock vs North Carolina-Asheville | Prediction & Pick

First of the ‘First Four’ faceoff for the right to face Pittsburgh

Two mid-major teams which won the right to play in the NCAA Tournament by winning their conference tournaments square off in Dayton as the Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans take on the North Carolina-Asheville Bulldogs on Tuesday night.

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Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans (19-16, 7-9 Sun Belt) vs. North Carolina-Asheville Bulldogs (19-13, 11-7 Big South)

Date/Time: Tuesday, March 15, 6:40 PM ET
Venue: University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, OH.
Broadcast: TruTV

Money Line: UNC Asheville -175, UALR +165
Spread: UNC Asheville -4
Over/Under: 128 ½

This will be the first matchup in the NCAA Tournament between these two schools. Arkansas-Little Rock won the Sun Belt Conference tournament to qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 21 seasons. It is their fourth ever appearance, with their lone victory coming in 1986 when as a No. 14 seed they stunned Notre Dame.

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The Bulldogs also needed to win their conference title, winning the Big South championship to mark their second appearance in the big dance. In 2003, they won the ‘play-in’ game against Texas Southern before losing in the first round a Texas squad that went all the way to the Final Four that season.

The Trojans are led by senior point guard Solomon Bozeman, who averaged 16.5 points per game in the regular season, and then averaged 22 PPG during the conference tournament. The four conference tournament wins in succession equaled a season-best for UALR. Bozeman’s players-only meeting before the conference tournament paid huge dividends.

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Meanwhile, the Bulldogs ride into Tuesday’s game with a six-game winning streak. They finished in the top 50 in the country in scoring offense, averaging 74.2 PPG as a team. Two key players are Matt Dickey (15.3 PPG) and J.P. Primm (14.4 PPG). Another player to watch for is senior forward John Williams, who won’t be hard to miss wearing a face shield to protect an injured cheek. The 6’4” forward is the school’s all-time leader in blocked shots.

Both teams have veteran coaches that have built their programs. Steve Shields is in his eighth season with the Trojans, while Ed Biedenbach is in his 15th season on the Bulldogs bench.

The odds makers have the UNC Asheville Bulldogs as a -4 point favorite with an over/under of 128.5.

Matt’s Free Prediction: It’s been a great run to the tournament by the Trojans, who struggled through much of the Sun Belt schedule. UNC Asheville has faced much stiffer competition, both in and out of the Big South, so I’ll look for the Bulldogs to grab the victory.

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Arkansas-Little Rock Trojans Betting Trends:

• Arkansas-Little Rock is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Arkansas-Little Rock’s last 5 games

UNC Asheville Bulldogs Betting Trends:

• UNC Asheville is 3-1 SU in its last 4 games
• The total has gone UNDER in 1 of UNC Asheville’s last 4 games