The No. 1 Arizona Wildcats (15-0) take on the TCU Horned Frogs (11-4) in Fort Worth, Texas. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Arizona is favored by 8.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -315. The total is set at 154.5 points.
Here’s my Arizona vs. TCU prediction and college basketball picks for January 10, 2026.
Arizona vs. TCU Odds, Spread, Pick
| Arizona Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6.5 -112 | 154.5 -115o / -105u | -315 |
| TCU Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+6.5 -108 | 154.5 -115o / -105u | +250 |
My Pick: Arizona -8.5 (Play to -9)
My Arizona vs TCU best bet is on the Wildcats to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Arizona vs TCU NCAAB Betting Preview
Arizona Wildcats Betting Preview
Arizona is facing a dangerous matchup in Fort Worth against TCU, which folded like a lawn chair in Lawrence this week.
The Wildcats have shown a strong level of dominance, winning 10 straight games by 10+ points.
The Arizona defense is one of the nation's toughest, ranking fourth in defensive efficiency, per KenPom. Good luck to those who try scoring on the Wildcats' imposing length, as they hold teams to 43% shooting on 2s.
They have the seventh-tallest average height in America, per KenPom. Arizona starts three players who stand 6-foot-8 or taller: 7-foot-2 center Mo Krivas, 6-foot-7 forward Ivan Kharchenkov and the bruising 6-foot-8 Koa Peat. That'll be tough for a smaller TCU squad to battle.
Tommy Lloyd's squad will aim to punish TCU on the glass. The Wildcats grab offensive rebounds at a 41% clip, which makes their offense very dangerous. Backup center Tobe Awaka leads the sport with a 25% offensive rebound rate, while Krivas places 17th in that category.
Usually, I'm fairly lukewarm on teams that shoot 3s at a volume like Arizona. It shoots 3s just 28% of the time — a bottom-five mark in the country.
Arizona is the exception, though, as it shoots 58% from inside the arc, gets to the line often and makes up for the lack of shooting with rebounding.
Freshman Brayden Burries scored 15+ points in eight of his last 10 games, with 24 in his last game against Kansas State. He's developed into the go-to guy for Coach Lloyd.
TCU Horned Frogs Betting Preview
TCU could use a big win over a top-25 caliber squad after squandering a golden chance against Kansas.
The Horned Frogs have to keep this a fairly low-scoring game to compete. They play a slower pace, ranking 200th in adjusted tempo.
Their bread and butter is on the defensive end, as the Horned Frogs rank 24th in defensive efficiency. They've limited teams to just 47% shooting on 2s, but this game could be different.
While Arizona has imposing length, TCU is the smallest team in the Big 12. The starting five-man is Xavier Edmonds at 6-foot-8 and the four-man David Punch is 6-foot-7.
Both are over 240 pounds, so they make up for the relative lack of positional length with strength. However, not only does Arizona have similar strength, but it also towers over TCU in length.
Jamie Dixon needs another huge performance from his guards. I don't have much faith in the Jayden Pierre, Brock Harding and Liutauras Lelevicius trio, but they got hot from deep in Lawrence.
That seems more like the outlier, as TCU shoots 35% from deep on fairly low volume, and it shot 45% from deep against Kansas.
To beat Arizona, TCU will need to shoot a similar 3-point percentage, as the Wildcats will take away the rim scoring of Punch and the other bigs.
How To Make Arizona vs. TCU Picks
I thought this line would open close to 9-9.5, so I'll gladly roll with Arizona laying 7.5.
The Wildcats can cover decent-sized road numbers due to their ability to make teams uncomfortable with their rampant pace.
All it takes is a few stops for Arizona to rattle off a 10-0 run, and very few teams can keep up with that pace.
The Wildcats might just be the best team in America, and we'll see why in Fort Worth.
My Pick: Arizona -8.5 (Play to -9)
