Arizona March Madness Odds: First Round NCAA Tournament Bets

Arizona (28-6) looks to open a long run as the No. 2 seed in the West Regional with a win over No. 15 Princeton (21-8) in the First Round in Sacramento, California on TNT at 4:10 p.m. EDT Thursday. Arizona March Madness odds have the Wildcats as spread favorites, with Princeton on the moneyline to pull off the upset. The point total is .

In this article, we break down NCAA Tournament odds for this game using key metrics and information on team trends to help you make informed decisions when placing bets. New users can click on the odds anywhere in this post to unlock sports betting bonus codes at sportsbooks.

Arizona vs. Princeton Betting Odds

This is the first meeting between these distant opponents since 1985. Princeton upset No. 2 UCLA in 1996 and gave No. 5 Notre Dame a scare in a 2-point loss in 2017. The Tigers beat Yale, 74-65, in the Ivy League Final to make the tournament. Arizona bounced back from losses to Arizona St. and UCLA by beating both teams en route to a Pac-12 Championship, earning the eighth overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. The table below will provide the best odds at sportsbooks in your state.

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Arizona Vs. Princeton Player Props

Player prop odds for Michigan State vs. USC will populate below once they become available, usually a day or so before tip-off. You will often find a wider spread of prices on small markets like player props, so it’s very important to shop for the best numbers. You can also use our prop finder tool and type in a player’s name.

Note that certain states restrict or disallow altogether college player props. You can bet college basketball player props in CT, DC, IA, IL, IN, LA, MD, NJ, OH, WA, WV and WY. However, CT, IA, IL, and NJ do not allow player props for athletes on in-state teams.

Arizona March Madness Futures Odds

Why Arizona Can Cover The Spread

The Wildcats finished fourth in the nation in scoring at 83 PPG and 11th in scoring margin (+11.2) this season. They can dominate down low with Azuolas Tubelis leading a slew of big bodies, while Princeton will be heavily reliant on 6-foot-8 big man Tosan Evbuomwan. Arizona comes into the tournament hot with a 4-1 record against the spread over its last five contests. The Wildcats are 4-2-1 ATS at neutral sites and went over the implied total in 9 of 11 games before the Pac-12 semifinals and finals. A high-scoring game would give the Wildcats a better chance to pull away.

Why Princeton Can Cover The Spread

While it may take a miracle for Princeton to actually take down the No. 2 seed, the Tigers could use their intelligence to keep it close. While undersized, the Tigers are one of the best defensive rebounding teams in the country and they play at a slow pace with a low turnover rate. If Princeton hits a high percentage of 3-point attempts and stays out of foul trouble on the defensive end, it might be hard for Arizona to make this a true blowout.

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Final Thoughts

Princeton has covered in four of five games when listed as underdogs this season and has a history of scaring top teams during March Madness. Arizona is trending less reliable ATS when given extra rest and is 11-14 ATS following a win, with an average margin of 9.4 PPG. The Wildcats have plenty of defensive inefficiencies and the Tigers are capable of executing in the halfcourt to stay close enough if this game is played at a slow pace. There is a likely correlation between Arizona covering and the game going over the point total, or Princeton covering a low-scoring game.