Can Syracuse Upset TCU at the March Madness Odds?

The sixth-seeded and March Madness Betting Odds favorite TCU Horned Frogs will look to make a bit of history for head coach Jamie Dixon when they take to the court for their NCAA Tournament opener against No. 11 Syracuse on Friday night. You see, TCU hasn’t won a single March Madness contest since Dixon was in his senior season at the school way back in 1987. Now, 20 years later, TCU is looking to win and advance. Let’s check the latest NCAAB Odds and find out right now if they can win against the upstart Orange in their first-round Midwest Region matchup in Detroit.

Horned Frogs vs. Orange March Madness Betting Odds & Expert Prediction

  • When: Friday, March 16, 2018, 9:40 PM ET
  • Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, Michigan
  • TV: CBS
  • Radio: TuneIn
  • Live Stream: MM Live
  • March Madness Betting Odds: TCU Horned Frogs -5 (Over/Under at 136.5 points)

Team Records

  • All: Syracuse Orange 21-13 / TCU Horned Frogs 21-11
  • Home: Syracuse Orange 16-5 / TCU Horned Frogs 17-3
  • Away: Syracuse Orange 5-8 / TCU Horned Frogs 4-8
  • ATS: Syracuse Orange 15-17 / TCU Horned Frogs 17-13-1
  • Over/Under: Syracuse Orange 14-18 / TCU Horned Frogs 21-10

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Last Matchup

  • Score: Syracuse Orange 80.00 / TCU Horned Frogs 64.00
  • Field Goal Percentage: Syracuse Orange 47.27 / TCU Horned Frogs 32.35
  • Rebounds: Syracuse Orange 39.00 / TCU Horned Frogs 35.00
  • 3 Point Shots: Syracuse Orange 12-29 / TCU Horned Frogs 8-22
  • Steals: Syracuse Orange 8.00 / TCU Horned Frogs 11.00

Why Consider Betting On Syracuse at +5?

Why should you consider betting on Syracuse? The best reason to bet on Syracuse is that they’re playing decent basketball, having won three of their last four and that they have absolutely nothing to lose, so they should be playing care-free basketball. Syracuse got past Arizona State 60-56 in their First Four matchup on Wednesday as freshman Oshae Brissett scored a game-high 23 points and Tyus Battle added 15 points in the win. The Orange got the win despite shooting an uninspiring 40.8 percent from the field in the win while holding the Sun Devils to 40.4 percent shooting. Brisset overcame a hard fall in the first half to score 15 of Syracuse’s final 30 points in the win while posting his second straight double-double by adding 12 rebounds Wednesday. Sophomore guard Tyus Battle (19.7 points), ranks third in the ACC in scoring and has scored in double digits in all but one game this season while playing more minutes (1,323) than all but one Division I player.

Team Statistics

Offense
  • Total Score: 67.32
  • Field Goal Percentage: 41.79
  • Three-Point Percentage: 32.21
  • Free Throw Percentage: 73.42
  • Total Rebounds: 37.41
Defense
  • Total Score: 64.29
  • Field Goal Percentage: 39.61
  • Three-Point Percentage: 32.89
  • Free Throw Percentage: 73.49
  • Total Rebounds: 32.91

Why Consider Betting On TCU at -5?

Why should you consider betting on TCU? There are several good reasons to back TCU in this contest like the fact that the Horned Frogs are the better statistical team at both ends of the floor. Despite dropping each of their last two games, the Horned Frogs won their previous four games and five of their previous six games overall. TCU has some great offensive balance with five players averaging double figures in scoring and another just off the mark at 9.8 points per game. 6-11 junior forward Vladimir Brodziansky (team-high 15.1 points, 5.1 boards, 1.6 blocks) is11th on the program’s all-time scoring list (1,351) and only needs three more blocks to tie the school career record (171). Second-team all-conference guard Kenrich Williams (13.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists), is one of just 11 active players with 1,000 career points, 800 career boards, and 200 career assists. He’s also recorded double-doubles in each of his last three games. TCU comes in as the March Madness Betting Odds favorite against Syracuse. The Horned Frogs led the Big 12 in field-goal percentage (49.9% and were eight in the nation overall while finishing 17th in three-point shooting percentage (40.0%.)

Team Statistics

Offense
  • Total Score: 83.00
  • Field Goal Percentage: 49.84
  • Three-Point Percentage: 39.97
  • Free Throw Percentage: 70.78
  • Total Rebounds: 36.44
Defense
  • Total Score: 75.94
  • Field Goal Percentage: 45.92
  • Three-Point Percentage: 37.92
  • Free Throw Percentage: 72.90
  • Total Rebounds: 30.12

Latest March Madness Betting Trends

  • The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Syracuse’s last 6 games
  • TCU is 4-1-1 ATS in its last 6 games
  • TCU is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
  • The total has gone OVER in 14 of TCU’s last 20 games

Expert March Madness Betting Pick

I have absolutely no reason why TCU isn’t a much bigger favorite, but I think the Horned Frogs are as close to a lock selection as it gets. While Syracuse has gone 5-1 ATS in their last 6 NCAA Tournament games and 11-5 ATS in their last 16 games against teams from the Big 12, the Orange are also 7-15 ATS in their last 22 games following a straight-up win and 4-13 ATS in their last 17 games following an ATS win. TCU has gone 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 games following an ATS loss, 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 games following a straight up loss, 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall and a consistent 13-4 ATS in their last 17 neutral site games. The Horned Frogs will win and cash in! Pick: TCU Horned Frogs -5