80-point games by UVA from 2020 through 2025: 13 80-point games by UVA this season: 18 A pair of top 15 defenses collide, but both teams have been willing to play more uptempo. Duke has hit 80+ in 9 ACC games, and only one high scoring game was sweaty late (4 pt win @ FSU) Every quality ACC defense Odom’s team has faced, they’ve passed the test, scoring at least 76 against Louisville, Miami (FL), NC State (2x) and UNC

This is a month straight of the Hogs playing great basketball. It started with a blowout win over Vandy, three straight road wins in SEC play, and a near upset of Alabama in double OT in T-Town. Acuff has now gone thermonuclear. He’s averaged 27 points per game during this ten game stretch, in that run Arkansas is 8-2 SU and 7-3 ATS. Beyond Acuff some things really stand out when you watch Arkansas. They don’t beat themselves, lowest turnover rate in the spot. Brazile is a premium defender, he’s capable 5 or more stocks any time he’s on the floor. The whistle will be key because they need 35 minutes from him, can’t have him on the bench for long stretches with the UF front court. I get all the Gators upside, I took them to make the Final Four at 5:1. But they’ve been coasting, more than a month straight of snoozers, closest game was Kentucky a 9 point home win. Right now Florida is elite, but since January 20th Arkansas is 11th per Torvik, 3rd in O and 10th in Wins Above Bubble. Gimme the points.

I’m on the Anteaters here for the same reason I was on Hawaii on Thursday night. You gotta get a top 2 seed because you get a bye to the Semifinals. UC Irvine pulled out a 1 point win at the Matadome, beating Northridge thanks to their defense, which is tops in the Big West, 25th nationally per Evan Miya. Top 5 in opponent eFG%, shooting efficiency and 2P%. You can’t score in close on Russell Turner’s team. I’ll you this, Turner has this game circled because the Gaucho’s punked them on the glass in the first meeting, a 5 point win for UCSB that also represented Irvine’s worst rebounding and defensive performance of the season. No one has completed a regular season sweep of Irvine in four years, Turner is a coach you want to back in a revenge, get-back game.