TCU Horned Frogs vs. Arizona Wildcats 12/30/24 NCAA Men’s Basketball Preview and Best Bets

TCU Horned Frogs vs. Arizona Wildcats 12/30/24 – In a fascinating encounter in the NCAA Men’s Basketball, the TCU Horned Frogs (7-4) will face the Arizona Wildcats (6-5). The two teams have tough competition in the offing, as this will most likely be their last game this calendar year. This game is set to take place on Monday as scheduled, with the starting time set at 8:00 PM ET at the McKale Memorial Center. The match can be watched live on the channel ESP+.

Team	SP/RL	TOTAL	ML
Horned Frogs	+14 (-105)	Over 146.5 (-110)	+750
Wildcats	-14 (-105)	Under 146.5 (-110)	-1200

https://twitter.com/TCUBasketball/status/1873480861523599858

The Wildcats are heavily favored to win with a -14 spread while dominating at home with an 18-2 record in the last 20 matches. TCU on the other hand has a mountain to climb if they are indeed to cover again the spread especially given their dismal away performance over the recent games.

Frankie Collins (Guard) vs. Caleb Love (Guard)

Frankie Collins has played an important role in the TCU Horned Frogs this season. The player has averaged a total of 11.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.4 assists across 9 games which means he is well rounded. He is likely to help TCU disrupt Arizona’s flow, with his 1.9 assists on average per game. However, considering his 3-point shooting percentage of 26.1%, this limits TCU’s ceiling, so to speak.

Caleb Love, on the other hand, has been at the forefront for the Arizona Wildcats. Arizona needs Love’s scoring, especially since he is averaging 15.2 points per game in 11 games. Furthermore, his average free throw percentage of 87 percent gives him an edge in those tight situations. Nonetheless, he has been playing a more scoring-oriented role, which explains his lower assist numbers and probably reduces teamwork on the floor.

The battle of Collins and Love promises to be box office. Will Collins’ abilities on the defensive end nullify Love’s offensive game and vice versa? The game’s tempo and complexity might very well be resolved by overlap of these two guards. Each guard has his strengths: Collins’ passing the ball and Love’s scoring which, in turn, makes them both work to find the other’s weakness.

Horned Frogs’ Strategic Play: A Closer Look

In their last matches, TCU displayed some endurance with a good win over Montana State (82-48) and a close win against South Alabama (58-49). These events confirm their defensive prowess and tempo control. Whether TCU will be able to sustain this form, specifically in terms of rebounding and steals, will be crucial against Arizona highly potent offense.

Wildcats’ Home Court Advantage

Such a thorough shift in the dynamics of games is only possible when a team is at full strength. Arizona for instance has obliterated the defenses of Central and Samford in their last two games winning each of these games 94-41 and 96-64 respectively albeit losing abruptly to UCLA. Arizona has proven to be a thorn in the side of their opponents on the offense having a record of 85.5 points average game with 48.2 percent shooting percentage. The Wildcats will also try to exploit their advantage in rebounding and assists to break TCU’s defense quite easily.

Trends

TCU Horned Frogs Betting Trends

TCU are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of TCU’s last 8 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of TCU’s last 5 games on the road.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of TCU’s last 5 games against an opponent in the Big 12 conference.
TCU are 17-3 SU in their last 20 games played in December.

Arizona Wildcats Betting Trends

Arizona are 18-2 SU in their last 20 games at home.
Arizona are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games against an opponent in the Big 12 conference.
Arizona are 14-4 SU in their last 18 games played in December.
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Arizona’s last 8 games played on a Monday.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Arizona’s last 5 games played on a Monday when at home.