Nevada Wolf Pack vs Arizona State Sun Devils 3/15/2023 Game Tips, Analysis and Free Picks
Men’s Basketball Championship – West Region – First Four
The Men’s Basketball Championship – West Region is set to kick off at the University of Dayton Arena in Ohio with a showdown between the 11th-ranked Nevada Wolf Pack and the no.11 Arizona State Sun Devils on Wednesday evening. Nevada heads into this first four tournament with 21 wins on the season, but a three-game losing streak that includes a tough four-point overtime loss to the San José State Spartans at 77-81 in the recent Mountain West Championship quarterfinal round on March 9.
Nevada’s offense struggled in the extra period, scoring only 12 points, while their defense allowed the Spartans to put up 16 points, ultimately leading to their 77-81 defeat. In that game, the Wolf Pack made only 38.3% of their shots and committed nine turnovers, while San José State converted 49.0% of their shots. Leading the way in scoring for the Wolf Pack is senior Guard Jarod Lucas, who averages 17.3 points per game on 41.4% field-goal shooting. Guard Kenan Blackshear is the next leading scorer for Nevada, with an average of 14.4 points per game and 4.6 assists per outing. Center Will Baker contributes a third-best 13.5 points per game for Nevada, while Forward Darrion Williams controls the boards with an average of 7.3 rebounds per contest and adds an average of 7.5 points per game for the Wolf Pack.
- Nevada is 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 outings against an opponent in the Pac-12 conference.
- The Nevada Wolf Pack is 1-6 SU in their last 7 games played in March.
- The Wolf Pack is 6-0 SU in their last 6 games played on a Wednesday.
Nevada Wolf Pack vs Arizona State Sun Devils 3/15/2023 Game Tips, Analysis and Free Picks
The Arizona State Sun Devils ranked 11th, barely made it to the big dance on Wednesday with a record of 10 games above .500, after losing three out of their last five matches. Their latest loss came against the 8th-seeded Arizona Wildcats in the Pac-12 Tournament semifinal round on March 10, where Arizona State struggled offensively and only scored a dismal 59 points on 32.3% overall shooting, including an embarrassing 68.8% shooting from the foul line. The Sun Devils’ defense also suffered greatly as the Wildcats managed to put up 78 points on 56.4% shooting from the field and 52.6% from beyond the arc.
In the losing effort, Guard Frankie Collins led the Sun Devils in scoring with 11 points, converting 14 of his shots, and was the only starter to reach double-digit scoring. Guard DJ Horne added nine points, while Forward Warren Washington contributed eight points and six rebounds in 31 minutes of play. Off the bench, Forward Jamiya Neal scored 11 points on nine shots made, playing for 23 minutes.
- Arizona State is 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games played in March.
- The total stayed UNDER in 6 of Arizona State’s last 8 matches played on a Wednesday.
- The total remained UNDER in 5 of Arizona State’s last 6 games when playing as the favorite.
No.11 Nevada Wolf Pack vs. no.11 Arizona State Sun Devils. The NCAAB Pick for this contest is Arizona State -2. Although both teams faced some difficulties leading up to the tournament on Wednesday, the Sun Devils have the advantage of playing on their home court, and they will capitalize on their superior strength to defeat the struggling Wolf Pack. Expect Arizona State to dominate on both offense and defense, with the added support of their home crowd. The prediction is that the Sun Devils will emerge victorious with a final score of 70-65.
NCAAB Starting Time: 9:10 PM ET
Location: UD Arena in Dayton, OH
Date: Wednesday, March 15, 2023
TV: truTV
NCAAB Odds/Point Spread: Arizona State Sun Devils -2
NCAAB Totals: 133.5
