Nevada vs Arizona State Odds, Lines & Predictions (March 15)
February 25, 2023; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils guard Desmond Cambridge Jr. (4) celebrates a three-point basket against the Arizona Wildcats in the second half at McKale Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary BonDurant-USA TODAY Sports
- 11 West seeded Arizona State and Nevada meet in an NCAA First Four game on Wednesday, March 15.
- Arizona State is a 2.5 point favorite over Nevada at UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio.
- Read the Nevada vs Arizona State odds and predictions below.
Arizona State (22-12, 11-9 Pac-12) is a 2.5-point favorite over Nevada in an NCAA Tournament West Regional play-in game Wednesday at 9:15 p.m. ET on TruTV in the UD Arena. They were the last two teams to make the 68-man NCAA field.
Nevada (22-10, 12-6 Mountain West) begins a three-game losing streak. The Wolf Pack finished the regular season with losses to MWC second division teams Wyoming and UNLV, and fell to San Jose State in the quarterfinals of the league tournament.
Nevada vs. Arizona State Odds
| team | spread | money line | In total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada wolf pack | +2.5 (-120) | +106 | Over 132.5 (-105) |
| Arizona state sun devil | -2.5 (-102) | -128 | Under 132.5 (-115) |
Arizona State is a -128 moneyline favorite over Nevada in the fifth meeting between the two, their first of the postseason. Nevada won the final 72-66 in the Hall of Fame Classic on December 7, 2018 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Wolf Pack made its final trip to the NCAA tournament this season, a year after making the Sweet Sixteen before falling to Loyola-Chicago.
Arizona State is 15-19 ATS, 7-4 ATS in nonconference games and 4-2 on neutral ground. Nevada is 18-11-2 ATS, 8-4 ATS in non-conference games and 2-2 on neutral ground. The Wolf Pack is 18-13 against the over; the sun devils are 17-17.
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Nevada squeaks into the field
The Wolf Pack was safely in the NCAA tournament before cratering in the past two weeks. An away loss to basement dwellers Wyoming of Mountain West, a home overtime loss to rivals UNLV, and an overtime loss to San Jose State in the quarterfinals of the MWC tournament left them on shaky ground. According to the NCAA selection committee, Nevada beat Oklahoma state for last spot in the 68-team field. The Wolf Pack and Providence (also three) are the only two teams to enter the NCAAs on a losing streak of up to three games.
The right side of the bladder 😅
The Last Four In 🙌 #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/H81SdE7RkG
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 12, 2023
Wolf pack shooting guard Jarod Lucas (17.3 points, 78 three-pointers) leads the team in scoring and three-pointers and is the only contributor with NCAA tournament experience, having started on the Oregon State team in 2020-21, who made a Cinderella run into the Elite Eight before losing to Houston. Lucas moved to Nevada this year, and he has a season-high 28 points against San Jose State. Point guard Kenan Blackshear (14.4 points, 4.6 assists) and 6’1″ Baker (13.5 points, 5.1 rebounds) are the other double-digit scorers. Forward Darion Williams (7.5 points, 7.3 rebounds) was the Mountain West Freshman of the Year.
Nevada is good at the little things. It has held opponents shooting from the field 41.5 percent and commits just 10.3 turnovers per game, 19th in Division 1. The Wolf Pack shoots 79.1 percent from the foul line, fourth in Division I.
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The late rise of the state of Arizona
The Sun Devils played out of the bubble just in time. Desmond Cambridge’s 50-footer on the buzzer gave them a big 89-88 win over rival Arizona at the McKale Center on the final day of February 25, and their 77-72 win over USC in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament was that Finale that was needed step. There’s some familiarity here – Sun Devil starters 6’4″ Desmond Cambridge Jr. and 7′ Warren Washington started for the Wolf Pack last season before entering the transfer portal.
Desmond Cambridge has been a staple of Arizona State basketball this season. A lot of people will only see “the shot,” but he’s had many intriguing moments this season.
He earned Second Team All Conference.
pic.twitter.com/NTqjf3NBtN— Anthony Totri (@Anthony_Totri) March 7, 2023
Desmond Cambridge Jr. leads the evenly balanced Sun Devils with 13.7 points after averaging 16.2 points in Reno last year. Guard 6’1″ DJ Horne (12.1 points) is the only other Arizona State player in double digits, but three others average at least 9.2 points, including Washington (9.2 points, 6.9 rebounds) and Desmonds Brother 6’6″ Devan Cambridge (9.8 points, 5.5 rebounds).
The Sun Devils’ forte is a group of athletic, chicaneous defenders. They can press, they can switch any screen, and they have rim protection in Washington (1.8 blocks per game). Opponents shoot from the field only 39.3 percent, ranked ninth in Division I.
Nevada vs Arizona State Prediction
The Mountain West is 2-13 in its last 15 NCAA tournaments, not a big selling point for Nevada, which is bringing a three-game losing streak and an inexperienced group into the postseason. Arizona State has the better resume. The Sun Devils defeated NCAA tournament teams VCU and Creighton (sans Ryan Kalkbrenner) and Michigan early on, drawing a clear line between the two. The Mountain West is fifth on the NCAA Net rankings, ahead of Pac-12 and ACC.
- Choice: Nevada +2.5 (-120)
- Season CBK: 48-24 ATS
Jack Magruder
sports journalist
Jack has covered collegiate and professional sports for various Arizona media outlets since the 1980s, including writing for the Associated Press, USA Today, and Baseball America. He officiated the 2015-17 World Series and served at four Super Bowls.
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