TCU vs Arizona State Odds, Picks & Predictions for NCAA Tournament

TCU vs Arizona State Odds

Friday, March 17

10:05 p.m. ET

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TCU Odds
Spread	Total	Moneyline
-5 -110	142 -110o / -110u	-225

Arizona State Odds
Spread	Total	Moneyline
+5 -110	142 -110o / -110u	+185

Odds via bet365. Get up-to-the-minute college basketball odds here.

To cap off the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, we've got quite the matchup in the West region with the (11) Arizona State Sun Devils taking on the (6) TCU Horned Frogs.

The Sun Devils are coming off an impressive win over Nevada in the First Four round on Wednesday evening. The Horned Frogs are looking to bounce back after dropping their matchup to Texas in the Big 12 semifinals.

Let's breakdown both of these teams and uncover the right betting angle to pick.

TCU Horned Frogs

There's a lot of questions surrounding TCU, mostly due to the fact that star big man Eddie Lampkin left the team roughly two weeks ago. If Lampkin was still with the team, I would've circled the Horned Frogs as a National Championship contender.

Fortunately for the Horned Frogs, they get a terrific matchup against the Sun Devils. TCU enters 21st in defensive efficiency and do a terrific job of taking away the basketball. This is an extra juicy matchup as I mentioned above the Sun Devils offense will definitely struggle through multiple stretches in this game.

The Horned Frogs offense will need to step up their shooting from behind the arc, where they are one of the worst teams in the country in 3-point percentage. This will be key, as they may not get consistent scoring inside. However, star guard Mike Miles could get hot at any moment and is more than capable of carrying the offensive load.

Even without Lampkin, I think the Horned Frogs will dominate the glass. They should have some extra success given the fact that Arizona State is one of the worst teams in the country in allowing offensive rebounds.

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Arizona State Sun Devils

Arizona State needed a ton to break their way down the stretch to make the NCAA tournament, and it's safe to say their buzzer-beater victory over the Arizona Wildcats was the resume difference-maker. The Sun Devils are extremely efficient on the defensive end of the floor. Luckily for them, they are facing a TCU team that no longer has big man Eddie Lampkin.

The Sun Devils are 30th in defensive efficiency and do an outstanding job of taking the basketball away. Their strength is defending inside the arc, as they are sixth in opposing 2PT%.

The problem I have with the Sun Devils is their inconsistency on offense. They rank in the bottom 250s in 3-point, 2-point and free-throw percentage. I do not know how they will fair against a gritty TCU defense. If ASU's offense was slightly better, I would have more faith in them.

TCU vs Arizona State Betting Pick

This is a great spot to take the under. We have very little knowledge about TCU's offense without Lampkin, and I spoke about the inconsistency of the Sun Devils offense.

I think it's too many points to swallow with the Horned Frogs, but I don't trust the Sun Devils enough to take them against the number. This sets up a really nice spot for both defenses, and I expect them both to be juiced up for this game.

Pick: Under 142.5 (Play to 141)

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