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Caleb Love #2 of the Arizona Wildcats handles the ball as we look at our best Arizona vs. Long Beach State March Madness prediction
Caleb Love #2 of the Arizona Wildcats handles the ball against the USC Trojans in the first half of a quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 Conference basketball tournament. Photo by David Becker/Getty Images via AFP.

The Arizona Wildcats face the Long Beach State Beach in the opening round of the March Madness on Thursday, as we make the top Long Beach State vs. Arizona NCAA Tournament prediction based on the best March Madness odds.

In the first round of West Region NCAA Tournament action, the No.2 Arizona Wildcats (25-8) emerge as clear and formidable favorites against the No. 15 Long Beach State Beach (21-14). Arizona boasts four players averaging over 10 points per game, spearheaded by Caleb Love with 18.1 points per game. Additionally, Oumar Ballo, averaging 13.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, is poised to hold an advantage in the paint and on the boards against Long Beach State's Lassina Traore.

Marcus Tsohonis leads the Beach with an average of 17.8 points per game. The looming question is whether he can keep pace with the scoring proficiency of the Wildcats, who boast an average of 87.9 points per game.

As part of our March Madness predictions, here is our best Long Beach State vs. Arizona prediction and college basketball picks (odds via our best March Madness betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Long Beach State vs. Arizona odds

Long Beach State (15) vs. Arizona (2) prediction: West Region 

Caleb Love Over 17.5 points ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: +100 via FanDuel

This number is below Love’s average because the Wildcats could take such a massive lead that they don’t need to play their starters much in the second half. However, Love will clear this number even if he sees fewer minutes than his usual 32.

This is a terrible matchup for the Beach. They like to outscore their opponents, but they’re going to have a hard time finding success against the Wildcats with that mentality. 

Unfortunately for the Beach, they won’t be able to adjust and turn this into a defensive game. They allow 75.9 points per game, which ranks them 278th in the nation. That’s great news for Love.

Love struggled to score in the Pac-12 Tournament and has scored 11 or fewer points in his last three games. However, the Beach are terrible at defending the three-point line, and in a favorable matchup, Love will shake off a string of bad performances.

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Long Beach State vs. Arizona best odds

FanDuel (+100)

DraftKingsFanDuelBetMGMCaesarsbet365
N/AOver 17.5 pointsN/AN/AN/A
N/A+100N/AN/AN/A

The only one of our best sports betting sites offering this prop right now is FanDuel. Normally, we’d wait and see what other offerings come out closer to tip-off, but there is no reason to wait to get in on this prop.

This number is lower than it should be, and the price is excellent. Getting this at +100 feels like a trap, but considering how Love has been shooting, it does make sense. Don’t wait; this number and price will likely worsen for Over bettors.

Long Beach State vs. Arizona spread & Over/Under analysis

The Wildcats opened as 19.5-point favorites at our best sportsbooks, and the spread has already moved to 20.5 or 21. Even though only 55% of bettors are backing the Wildcats right now, this spread should continue to grow ahead of tip-off.

The total for this game opened at 161 or 161.5 at our best live betting sites. Thus far, bettors love the Over, with 75% of wagers backing a high-scoring game. While this number will likely climb, we recommend taking the Wildcats’ team Over if you want to play a total, as the Beach could struggle to keep pace with the Wildcats and ultimately push this total under.

Long Beach State vs. Arizona game info

  • When: Thursday, March 21st
  • Tip-off: 2 p.m. ET
  • Where: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
  • How to watch: TBS

Long Beach State vs. Arizona prediction made Monday at 12:27 p.m. ET.

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