TCU (21-12) vs Arizona (32-3)
When: Sunday, March 20th 2022
Where: Viejas Arena,
San Diego, CA
Time: 9:40 ET | TV: CBS
Opening Odds: Arizona -9.5/143.5
Open an Account at Bovada Sportsbook to get up to a $750 Deposit Bonus!
The Round of 32 concludes this Sunday night in San Diego with a matchup between two teams who haven’t played each other in almost 70 years. The Ninth-seeded TCU Horned Frogs will take on the top-seeded Arizona Wildcats for the right to advance to the Sweet 16. TCU made a statement on Friday, routing eighth-seeded Seton Hall 69-42 for their first NCAA Tournament victory since head coach Jamie Dixon was a starting guard in 1987. The Horned Frogs began the season with a 12-2 mark, but have recorded consecutive wins just twice while going 8-10 in 18 games since. Despite those woes, TCU has gone an impressive 7-2-1 against the spread over their past 10. The Horned Frogs have also covered in 12 of 18 as underdogs so far this season. They come into this contest as 9.5-point underdogs to the Wildcats, but have posted wins in five of 11 games against nationally ranked opponents.
Arizona dispatched of 16th-seeded Wright State on Friday 87-70 for their seventh consecutive victory. The Wildcats will need to do a better job of taking care of the ball, as they committed 19 turnovers against Wright State while forcing just six. Part of the ball-handling issues were due to the absence of point guard Kerr Kriisa (ankle), who has missed three straight games and is questionable for Sunday. Arizona has been in the NCAA Tournament 33 times in the past 37 years and have four trips to the Final Four and a 1997 national championship. However, Friday’s victory over Wright State was the program’s first NCAA win since 2017. The Wildcats are averaging 84.6 points per game this season and that has translated into an 8-2 run to the Over.
The TCU defense, which ranks as one of the best in the country, held Seton Hall shooters to just 28.8 percent from the field on Friday. The Horned Frogs proved effective at keeping the Pirates out of the paint, holding them to 6-of-21 from three-point land, while sinking just nine total two-pointers on the day. Leading scorer Mike Miles led the Frogs with 21 points on 50 percent shooting, while Damion Baugh scored 14 points. TCU outrebounded the Pirates 35-21 and shot 50.9 percent for the game.
The Wildcats carried their momentum of winning the Pac-12 tournament into their first round matchup with Wright State. Arizona never trailed during their dominating victory and outrebounded the Raiders by a 46-25 margin. On offense, the Wildcats shot a sizzling 55 percent from the field led by Bennedict Mathurin’s 18 points. Junior big man Christian Koloko recorded 17 points, 13 boards, six assists and five blocked shots for his second straight double-double.
I’ve been riding this TCU team for a while now when they are underdogs. Their defense alone can keep them in games and they come into this contest with a lot of confidence. I’ll take the points.
Pick: TCU +9.5
March Madness Free Picks
