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TCU vs. Arizona State: 2023 NCAA Tournament Best Bets & Picks

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March Madness is officially here! The 2023 NCAA Tournament Bracket has been announced, and the teams are lining up for the Big Dance. Let’s take a look at the early odds, previews, and predictions for the 2023 NCAA Tournament Round 1 game: TCU vs. Arizona State.

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2023 March Madness Odds, Preview & Predictions: TCU vs. Arizona State

TCU vs. Arizona State Odds, Spread & Match Up Overview

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TCU 2023 NCAA Tournament Betting Preview

If we are categorizing teams in the NCAA Tournament, TCU should be placed in the “sneaky good” category. The Horned Frogs essentially run back last year’s tournament team, which was inches away from taking down 1-seeded Arizona. Now, Jamie Dixon and Co. can reload as a better seed with higher expectations entering the tournament.

For TCU to succeed, Mike Miles Jr. has to go into beast mode. In the eight games Miles missed this season, TCU went 3-5. That’s nearly half of this team’s losses. With Miles, TCU dominated nonconference opponents Iowa and Providence. This team loves shooting inside, with the highest near-proximity shooting rate in the nation. The Horned Frogs are quick and shifty, ranking in the top 25 at potential quick points in transition, and they get a lot of second-chance looks. Where they struggle mightily is from beyond the arc, ranking outside the top 300 in 3pt shooting, with fewer than 22 percent of their points coming from deep. That is concerning. An opponent with a strong interior defense has the potential to eat this team alive – as seen in TCU’s two losses to Iowa State this year.

The Horned Frogs’ defense is good enough to stick with any team, especially on the perimeter, but TCU is a little too matchup-dependant for my taste. I also have to mention that TCU center Eddie Lampkin Jr. is now out after stepping away from the team. The Horned Frogs are not deep in the frontcourt, which caps TCU’s ceiling a bit.

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Arizona State 2023 NCAA Tournament Betting Preview

Barely squeaking into the tournament, Arizona State’s win over USC in the Pac-12 tournament may have been the difference for the Sun Devils’ NCAA Tournament berth.

Desmond Cambridge is an awesome 6-4 defensive forward, and Devan Cambridge and Warren Washington are effective frontcourt interior options. Arizona State rebounds well, allows nearly nothing in the paint, and forces a high percentage of turnovers. Offensively, the Sun Devils will try to run in transition, but they rank outside the top 270 in both 2pt and 3pt shooting.

It will be tough for this team to make a deep tournament run simply because of its inconsistent offense, which can go cold at times. An opponent that can shoot well from beyond the arc will cause problems for this Bobby Hurley-led team.

TCU vs. Arizona State 2023 NCAA Tournament Predictions

TCU comes in having held its own in the Big 12, the best conference in the country this season, and they are at full strength. Mike Miles Jr. has averaged 15.3 points in seven games since returning from a knee injury. TCU is 4-3 since his return but two of those losses came at the hands of 1-seed Kansas and 2-seed Texas. TCU even beat Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse earlier this season, handing Bill Self just his 17th home loss in 20 years, so they are clearly capable of beating anyone, anywhere. However, they lost their regular season finale to NIT participant Oklahoma by 14, so they are also capable of throwing up clunkers.

Arizona State jumped on Nevada early, getting up 25-12 in the first seven minutes, and never looked back. They race into the Round of 64 on the back of a 25-point, 98-73 victory. The Sun Devils will enter Friday’s game against the Horned Frogs having already gotten a win under their belts and proving they came ready to play and punching TCU in the mouth early like they did Nevada may be their best path to victory.

Of ASU’s 12 losses, only two have come by fewer than five points so if you are leaning their way, take the moneyline, but if you are leaning TCU, bet the spread.

TCU vs. Arizona State 2023 NCAA Tournament Picks

Pick: Arizona State Moneyline (+165)

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