Arizona State vs. TCU Odds
To wrap up the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, we have a great 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 night. The Horned Frogs are looking to bounce back after dropping their matchup to Texas in the Big 12 semifinals.
Let’s break down both of these teams and uncover the right betting angle to choose.
Arizona State needed a ton to grind their way down the stretch to make the NCAA Tournament, and it’s safe to say their buzzer-beater win over the Arizona Wildcats was the resume difference maker. The Sun Devils are extremely efficient on the defensive end of the floor. Fortunately for them, they face a TCU team that no longer has big man Eddie Lampkin.
The Sun Devils are 30th in defensive efficiency and do an excellent 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 don’t know how they will justify against an ugly TCU defense. If ASU’s offense was a little better, I’d have more faith in them.
There are a lot of questions surrounding TCU, mostly due to the fact that big star Eddie Lampkin left the team about two weeks ago. If Lampkin was still on the team, I would have circled the Horned Frogs as a national championship contender.
Luckily for the Horned Frogs, they get a great game against the Sun Devils. TCU comes in ranked 21st in defensive efficiency and does a great job of taking the basketball away. This is an extra juicy matchup that I mentioned above. The Sun Devils offense will certainly struggle through several 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 can get hot at any time 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 considering Arizona State is one of the worst teams in the country at allowing offensive rebounds.
Arizona State vs. TCU Betting Pick
This is a great place to visit. We have very little knowledge of TCU’s offense without Lampkin, and I talked 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 count. This creates a really good spot for both defenses and I expect them both to be lined up for this game.
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