ESPN's Jay Bilas predicts Vermont upset of Arkansas basketball in NCAA Tournament
ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas sees the Arkansas Razorbacks going winless in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
Bilas expects No. 13-seeded Vermont to defeat No. 4 seed Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament first round on Thursday, March 17. He made the prediction on ESPN's "Bald Men on Campus" podcast.
"The upset that I see there is Vermont that plays five-out motion — setting a lot of ball screens, wide pins and they can really shoot it," Bilas said on the podcast talking about the NCAA Tournament West Region. "I think they're going to be a problem for Arkansas."
Vermont comes into the tournament 28-5 overall, and it defeated UMBC 82-43 in the America East Tournament championship game on Saturday.
"I've been high on Arkansas all season long, and especially since they've made this run, I think they really defend," ESPN analyst Seth Greenberg said in response to Bilas on the podcast. "They got versatility in their defense. (Arkansas guard) JD Notae is a guy that can score buckets when he's in ball screens — or when he's in any type of plays with (Arkansas forwardJaylin Williams. I think that will be an interesting game to watch."
Greenberg stuck with Arkansas to win the game.
Arkansas enters the tournament at 25-8 overall. Most recently, Texas A&M beat Arkansas on Saturday in the SEC Tournament semifinals.
Bilas alluded to possibly picking Vermont on ESPN's TV broadcast on Sunday night, but Bilas didn't make the actual pick.
"One of the matchups I think is going to be really interesting is Vermont vs. Arkansas," Bilas said Sunday night on TV. "Arkansas doesn't shoot the ball great, although they are very athletic, but they don't shoot it great — and Vermont does. Vermont runs five-out offense; they take care of the ball; they're very smart and they're all seniors. And Vermont dominated the America East, and I think they've got with Ryan Davis and Ben Shungu a great opportunity to win that game."
Bilas has been an analyst with ESPN since 1995. Greenberg has been with ESPN since 2012.
Eric Musselman is the Arkansas Razorbacks men’s basketball head coach. This is his third season as the Arkansas basketball head coach. He previously took Arkansas to the NCAA Tournament in 2020-21.
Arkansas ended the 2021 NCAA Tournament with an 81-72 loss to Baylor in the Elite Eight.
The Arkansas men’s basketball program made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament during the 1940-41 season. Arkansas has reached the Final Four on six occasions. Arkansas last reached the Final Four in 1995, when it lost to UCLA in the national championship game. Arkansas won its only NCAA Tournament title in 1993-94.
Here’s more Arkansas basketball news:
JD Notae: 3 things to know about Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball guard JD Notae
Ryan Davis: UVM's Ryan Davis repeats as America East Conference player of the year
Ben Shungu: UVM men's basketball's Ben Shungu rewrites history for his final game at Patrick Gym
Arkansas, Vermont odds: What is the Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Vermont basketball betting line in NCAA Tournament
The 2022 NCAA Tournament Final Four in New Orleans starts Saturday, April 2. The NCAA Tournament national championship game is scheduled to take place Monday, April 4.
Erik Hall is the lead digital producer for sports with the USA Today Network. You can find him on Twitter @HallErik.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Jay Bilas picks UVM upset of Arkansas basketball in NCAA Tournament
