Vermont vs. Arkansas: NCAA Tournament odds, final score predictions from ESPN, KenPom

No. 4-seed Arkansas tips off one of the last games of the night on Thursday versus No. 13-seed Vermont in round-one NCAA tournament play. Ahead of tipoff, here is how to watch Arkansas (25-8) versus Vermont (28-5), in addition to predictions from both ESPN and KenPom, and the Las Vegas odds.

How to watch Arkansas vs Vermont

Time: 9:20 p.m. ET

Location: KeyBank Center (Buffalo, NY)

Network: TNT

Vegas odds

According to VegasInsider, the Jayhawks are 5-point favorites in their first game of March Madness versus the Catamounts. The over/under for the game is 139.

ESPN BPI prediction

ESPN’s College Basketball Power Index (BPI) measures team strength and predicts future performances across the sport. The BPI prediction from ESPN has Arkansas with a 61.6% chance of earning a decisive victory over Vermont on Thursday night. It’s the third-most competitive game of the night, based on ESPN’s quality rating. San Francisco versus Murray State is the most competitive.

Projected winner: Arkansas

Predicted point differential: 3

Matchup Quality: 90.6

KenPom prediction

KenPom is another tool used to predict and project college basketball results. Like ESPN, KenPom projects Arkansas taking the win in Buffalo.

Predicted winner: Arkansas

Predicted final score: Arkansas 72, Clemson 68

Win probability (for Arkansas): 65%

No. 4-seed Arkansas to fend off Vermont Catamounts in Round One

March Madness officially gets underway with the first round on St. Patricks Day. The No. 4 Arkansas Razorbacks take on the Vermont Catamounts in the West Region. Of all first-round matchups, this is one of the most commonly picked upset games with the Hogs carrying a slight advantage, per ESPN.

Arkansas finished the season in the SEC tournament versus Texas A&M, losing 82-64. Vermont, meanwhile, beat UMBC in dominant fashion in the American East Tournament championship game. The Catamounts won 82-43, in one of the most lopsided tournament finales of the year.

The winner moves on to the second round and will face the winner between UConn and New Mexico State.