- The #1 Arizona Wildcats are 9.5-point favorites over the #9 TCU Horned Frogs in an NCAA Tournament South Region second-round game slated for Sunday, March 20
- Arizona is unbeaten (6-0) in the month of March
- See the Wildcats vs Horned Frogs odds and picks, below
The Arizona Wildcats (32-3, 19-14-2 ATS) are riding a hot streak at the most important time of the year. On the other hand, the TCU Horned Frogs (21-12, 19-11-3 ATS) are 2-3 over their past five games.
That doesn’t bode well for the Horned Frogs as these two schools clash in an NCAA Tournament South Regional second-round game on Sunday. The Wildcats have won six in a row and scored 81 or more points in each victory.
TCU vs Arizona Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| TCU Horned Frogs | +375 | +9.5 (-110) | O 143.5 (-110) |
| Arizona Wildcats | -500 | -9.5 (-110) | U 143.5 (-110) |
Odds as of March 19th at BetMGM Sportsbook. See list of BetMGM Sportsbook promos before wagering.
Oddsmakers are setting #1 seed Arizona as 9.5-point favorites over the #9 Horned Frogs. The Wildcats are 5-6 against the spread through the past 11 games.
Sunday’s game is set to be played at 9:40pm ET at Viejas Arena in San Diego, California. TBS will be carrying the broadcast.
Across the leading online sports betting sites, Arizona is listed at +490 in the NCAA Tournament title odds and at +143 in the March Madness Regional odds. Eight of the Wildcats’ last 10 games have gone over.
Krissa Still On Sidelines
The Wildcats were hoping that junior point guard Kerr Kriisa would be able to play limited minutes against Wright State. Kriisa warmed up but ultimately didn’t play.
Watch us win it all. Bear Down, Go Cats 🤪 pic.twitter.com/JEg0ElSC7F
— Kerr (@KerrKriisa) March 10, 2022
He’s missed three games suffering a sprained right ankle against Stanford during the Pac-12 Tournament. Senior Justin Kier has been starting at point guard in place of Kriisa.
Wildcats Betting Outlook
Five different players hit for double digits as Arizona dusted off the 16th-seeded Wright State Panthers 87-70 in the opening round of tournament play.
Guard Bennedict Mathurin paced the attack with 18 points and added five rebounds. Center Christian Koloko finished with a double-double, scoring 17 points and pulling down 13 rebounds. Koloko also shared the team high with six assists.
“That’s why you come to Arizona. You come to Arizona to play in the NCAA Tournament.”
Christian Koloko, Bennedict Mathurin and Pelle Larsson reflect on playing in their first #MarchMadness game. pic.twitter.com/W1QrGOfUUM
— The Wildcaster (@TheWildcaster) March 19, 2022
The Wildcats shot 55% from the field. Meanwhile, the Arizona defense held Wright State to a field goal percentage of 34.8%.
Arizona has reached the 30-win plateau for the first time since the 2016-17 season. Mathurin is the top scorer for the Wildcats, averaging 17.4 points per game. He’s listed with a betting line of +5250 in the Wooden Award odds.
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TCU Betting Outlook
One telling stat that jumps off the page from the Arizona-Wright State game that you should take into consideration in your March Madness betting strategy is that the Wildcats turned the ball over 19 times. That could play right into the hands of the Horned Frogs.
Whipping Seton Hall 69-42, TCU outrebounded the Pirates 39-26 while forcing 16 turnovers. The Horned Frogs are 10th in the nation in offensive rebounds, averaging 12.97 boards per game. They outscored Seton Hall 40-14 in the paint. As well, TCU held the Pirates to 28.8% from the field. That’s the school’s worst performance in an NCAA Tournament game.
I understand it’s overly-simplistic, but Jamie Dixon making the NCAA tournament 14 times in 19 seasons coaching at only Pitt and TCU is nuts.
Just such a good college basketball coach.
— Dan Sostek (@dan_sostek) March 19, 2022
TCU has played one of the top-10 toughest schedules in the NCAA this season. In fact, two of the last three losses suffered by the Horned Frogs were to the Kansas Jayhawks, the #1 seed in the Midwest Region.
Guard Mike Miles is TCU’s top scorer. He averages 15.0 ppg. Miles scored 21 points in the win over the Pirates. Guard Damion Baugh scored 14 points for TCU. The Horned Frogs shot 27 of 53 (50.9%) from the field.
TCU’s victory over Seton Hall was their first triumph in an NCAA Tournament game since 1987. Current Horned Frogs coach Jamie Dixon was a senior guard on that 1987 squad.
Arizona vs TCU Prediction
Arizona are proving to be consistent winners. The Wildcats were both regular-season and tournament champions of the Pac-12.
KenPom rates Arizona #5 on offense, #20 on defense and #2 overall. By comparison, TCU is 77th offensively, 23rd defensively and 35th overall.
#TCU basketball is back.
The Frogs win their first NCAA tournament game since 1987 in a 69-42 blowout of Seton Hall. They’ll face one seed Arizona on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/E2dnDq3W7k
— Colin Post (@colinp_3) March 19, 2022
The Horned Frogs are 7-2-1 ATS in their past 10 games. Meanwhile, Arizona is 4-3 ATS in the school’s last seven games, as well as in the Wildcats’ last seven games as the chalk.
Pick: TCU +9.5 (-110)
Second Round Game Previews (Saturday)
- Baylor vs UNC Odds, Lines and Spread (12:10 pm ET)
- Kansas vs Creighton Odds, Lines, and Spread (2:40 am ET)
- Michigan vs Tennessee Odds and Picks (5:15 pm ET)
- Richmond vs Providence Odds, Lines and Spread (6:10 pm ET)
- UCLA vs Saint Mary’s Odds and Picks (7:10 pm ET)
- Saint Peter’s vs Murray State (7:45 pm ET)
- New Mexico State vs Arkansas Picks and Odds (8:40 pm ET)
- Gonzaga vs Memphis Odds and Picks (9:40 pm ET)
Second Round Game Previews (Sunday)
- Ohio State vs Villanova Picks, Odds, and Spread (TBD)
- Purdue vs Texas Picks, Odds, and Spread (TBD)
- Auburn vs Miami Odds and Picks (TBD)
General
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