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The First Four matchup in the West Region is set for or Wednesday, March 15 as the No. 11 Arizona State Sun Devils face the No. 11 Nevada Wolfpack from University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio.
Game date: Wednesday, March 15
Game time: TBA
TV channel: truTV
Location: University of Dayton Arena in Dayton, Ohio.
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook: Arizona State -1, Over/Under 134.5
No. 11 Arizona State
Record: 22-12, 11-9 Pac-12
Coach: Bobby Hurley
Qualifier: At-large
KenPom overall: 68
KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency: 133
KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: 28
Pace: 131
PPP overall: 0.978
Leading scorer: Desmond Cambridge Jr.
NET: 66
Quad 1 record: 5-6
Against The Spread: 15-19-0
Over Total: 17-17-0
Odds to win NCAA Championship: +20000
Did it take a game-winning shot from beyond half court for the Arizona State Sun Devils to qualify for the NCAA Tournament? That may be the case as they squeaked into the field a couple weeks after upsetting the in-state Arizona Wildcats on the road thanks to Desmond Cambridge Jr.’s heave at the buzzer. Arizona State is in the big dance for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
The biggest strength for the Sun Devils comes on the defensive end, while the offense has been an issue for much of the season. Cambridge is a Nevada transfer and the team’s top scorer with 13.7 points per game. On the other end, Arizona State allowed opponents to shoot 39.8% from the floor, which ranked as the third lowest in the Pac-12 this season.
No. 11 Nevada
Record: 21-10, 12-6 MWC
Coach: Steve Alford
Qualifier: At-Large
KenPom overall: 41
KenPom adjusted offensive efficiency: 64
KenPom adjusted defensive efficiency: 41
Pace: 245
PPP overall: 1.041
Leading scorer: Jarod Lucas
NET: 37
Quad 1 record: 4-5
Against The Spread: 18-11-2
Over Total: 18-13
Odds to win NCAA Championship: +50000
As the pride of Reno and the Truckee Meadows, the Nevada Wolf Pack crossed over the 20-win threshold for the first time since Eric Musselman departed at the end of last decade for Arkansas. Now under Steve Alford’s tutelage, Nevada did well in 2022-23 to navigate conference play (12-6) in a scrappy Mountain West circuit. Behind solid programs in SDSU, Utah State and Boise State, the Pack managed to finish in fourth place.
Nevada has already won nine more games this season compared to last, jumping up from their eighth-place finish in-conference. Senior guard Jarod Lucas leads the Wolf Pack with an impressive 17.3 PPG this season, but will he provide enough firepower to get through the Big Dance? Nevada is coming off back-to-back demoralizing defeats with a loss at home to arch-rival UNLV to end the regular season and an overtime defeat to a surging San Jose State team in the conference tourney, where Lucas poured in 28 points.