Princeton vs Arizona NCAA Tournament Round 1: How to watch, odds and predictions for March Madness

It’s time for March Madness, which could mean a run for the Arizona Wildcats — a team that is no stranger to the ups and downs of this time of year.

Arizona going on a run would start with a win over Princeton, which is something likely to get penciled into most brackets around the country. Even the biggest hipster bracket predictor knows that it’s rare for a 15-seed to make it far in the tournament, let alone beyond its first matchup.

The Wildcats also come into the tournament hot off winning the Pac 12 tournament, a conference that provides some pretty steep competition else in the bracket with the likes of UCLA and a sneaky USC team.

Princeton has its hands full with Arizona. The Wildcats come into the tournament as one of the best teams in the country, possessing an absolutely lethal offense that is shooting 38 percent from three-point land and almost 60 percent inside the arc. That’s outrageous, and it’s coupled with the fact that Arizona plays almost faster than any other offense in the country and that becomes a problem for anyone who plays them, not just Princeton.

March Madness 2023: How to watch Arizona vs. Princeton

Here’s how to catch all of the Arizona vs. Princeton action in the Round of 64 this year:

• Date: Thursday, March 16
• Time: 4:10 pm ET
• Channel: TNT
• Streaming: NCAA March Madness Live
• Announcers: Brad Nessler, Brendan Haywood, Dana Jacobson

Arizona vs. Princeton NCAA Tournament Round 1 odds

In what should come as almost no surprise, the books are heavily favoring Arizona to make it past Thursday’s matchup. FanDuel has Arizona as a 13.5-point favorite, and the money line is a very unattractive -1400.

Anyone looking to put money on Princeton should first seek help and then consider first-half totals. According to BetMGM, Princeton has hit the first half under in 15 of their last 24 games, but outside of that it’s going to be hard to find ways to bet on the Tigers and feel good about it.

Arizona vs. Princeton NCAA Tournament Round 1 prediction

It’s pretty hard to find ways that Princeton pulls off an upset over Arizona. Crazy things tend to happen in March, but teams shooting almost 60 percent from the field that is blazing fast in the possession game typically don’t go cold right out of the gate.

The one thing Princeton has going for it is ranking in the Top 100 in turnover percentage, where the Wildcats rank 203rd, according to ESPN’s model.

That’s it, there’s basically nothing else to write home about here.

Arizona might not make it all the way, but it will certainly make it out of the first round and likely deep into the second weekend of tournament play.

Prediction: Arizona 82, Princeton 70