The Arizona Wildcats are the No. 1 seed in the South Region of the 2022 NCAA Tournament and on Sunday they'll take on the No. 9 seed TCU Horned Frogs with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line. This is Tommy Lloyd's first time experiencing March Madness as a head coach after spending 20 years as Mark Few's right-hand man at Gonzaga. Meanwhile, Jamie Dixon is making his second NCAA Tournament appearance with TCU and 11th overall as a head coach. So will experience be a factor when Arizona battles TCU on Sunday night?
Tipoff is set for 9:40 p.m. ET at the Aztec Bowl in San Diego, Calif. The Wildcats are 9.5-point favorites in the latest Arizona vs. TCU odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the over-under for total points scored is 145.5. Before making any TCU vs. Arizona picks, be sure to check out the NCAA Tournament 2022 predictions and betting advice from SportsLine's proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of almost $1,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Arizona vs. TCU and revealed its coveted picks and predictions for the NCAA Tournament 2022. You can head to SportsLine to see all of the model's college basketball picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for TCU vs. Arizona:
- Arizona vs. TCU spread: Arizona -9.5
- Arizona vs. TCU over-under: 145.5 points
- Arizona vs. TCU money line:Arizona -550, TCU +400
- TCU: The Horned Frogs are 5-2 against the spread in their last seven games
- ARI: The Wildcats are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games played on a Sunday
Why Arizona can cover
The Wildcats have used incredible size and overall length to overwhelm the majority of their opponents this season. Azuolas Tubelis, Christian Koloko and Oumar Ballo are all at least 6-foot-11 with strength and length. The Wildcats also have five guards in their rotation that are between 6-foot-3 and 6-foot-7.
Bennedict Mathurin has evolved into arguably the nation's best two-way player and is in contention for national player of the year honors after winning Pac-12 Player of the Year. He's going to be an extremely difficult matchup at both ends for TCU, as he averages 17.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game while playing suffocating defense with his 6-foot-9 wingspan.
Why TCU can cover
TCU won its first NCAA Tournament game since 1987 on Friday when it routed Seton Hall 69-42. The Horned Frogs now have a chance to make its first Sweet 16 appearance since 1968. Dixon's squad smothered the Pirates in the win, holding Seton Hall to 28.8 percent shooting from the floor and hammering them on the glass 35-21.
The Horned Frogs crash the offensive glass hard, ranking fifth in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage (35.9). However, nobody on the team averages more than 6.2 rebounds per game, so it's truly a team rebounding effort. Arizona ranks 142nd in the nation in defensive rebounding percentage (74.6), which could be an area where TCU can exploit the No. 1 seed.
How to make TCU vs. Arizona picks
SportsLine's model is leaning under on the point total, projecting the teams to combine for 143 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits well over 60 percent of the time. You can only see the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Arizona vs. TCU? And which side of the spread hits well over 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.
