Nevada vs Arizona State Prediction & Game Preview - March 15, 2023 | March Madness 2023

The First Four in Dayton, Ohio, concludes with a Wednesday night matchup between two of the last teams to be selected for the NCAA Tournament.

No. 11 seed Nevada Wolf Pack takes on No. 11 seed Arizona State Sun Devils at 9 p.m. ET on truTV.

Nevada (22-10) comes out of a deep Mountain West Conference, where the Wolf Pack finished fourth in the season standings.

Arizona State (22-12) is an at-large selection out of the Pac-12. The Sun Devils are making their first tournament since 2019 and are led by coach Bobby Hurley.

The winner will take on No. 6 Texas Christian (21-12) in Denver, Colorado, in the final game of the first round.

Game preview

The two teams are evenly matched on paper.

Both are 6-4 in their last 10 games.

They have similar scoring numbers as well. The Sun Devils average 67.9 points per game and allow 69.5. The Wolf Pack score 70.8 ppg and allow 67.2.

The Wolf Pack are a better shooting team, going 45.0% from the field. However, they struggle to clean up the glass. Nevada ranks a lowly 309th in team rebounding, with 33.5 per game.

Nevada limps into this game on a three-game losing streak and went 4-4 against tournament teams this season.

The Sun Devils went 4-7 against tournament teams but picked up big wins against Arizona and Creighton.

Game prediction

Spread: Arizona State (-2)

Total (O/U): 135

Moneyline: Nevada (+120) vs. Arizona St. (-140)

Both teams were tested and picked up a few quality wins along the way this season. Arizona State proved it can beat anyone when it used a miraculous buzzer-beater to take down rival Arizona on the road. The Sun Devils are the slight favorites.

However, KenPom ranks Nevada much higher at No. 43, as compared to ASU at No. 68. Bobby Hurley's squad should be able to lean on experience and pull out a close one.

Arizona State 69, Nevada 65