The TCU Horned Frogs take on the Cincinnati Bearcats in Cincinnati, Ohio. Tip-off is set for 12 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Cincinnati is favored by 6.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -340. The total is set at 132.5 points.
Here are my TCU vs. Cincinnati predictions and college basketball picks for February 22, 2025.
TCU vs Cincinnati Prediction
My Pick: Cincinnati -6.5
My TCU vs Cincinnati best bet is on the Bearcats spread, with the best odds currently available at DraftKings. For all of your college basketball bets, find the best lines using our live NCAAB odds page.
TCU vs Cincinnati Odds
| TCU Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+6.5 -105 | 132.5 -108 / -112 | +270 |
| Cincinnati Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6.5 -115 | 132.5 -108 / -112 | -340 |
- TCU vs Cincinnati spread: Cincinnati -6.5
- TCU vs Cincinnati over/under: 132.5 points
- TCU vs Cincinnati moneyline: Cincinnati -340, TCU +270
- TCU vs Cincinnati best bet: Cincinnati -6.5
Spread
I'm backing the Bearcats against the spread.
Moneyline
I'm passing on the moneyline.
Over/Under
I'm passing on the over/under.
My Pick: Cincinnati -6.5
TCU vs Cincinnati College Basketball Betting Preview
TCU has won five of the past six games, including an impressive upset victory over Texas Tech on Tuesday. The Horned Frogs are on a great run.
However, I think it’s a good time to sell high on the Frogs, who are due for a letdown after a massive home upset — especially in this matchup with the upward-trending Bearcats.
I don’t like how TCU matches up with Cincinnati, especially on the offensive end.
The Horned Frogs have a limited, rim-reliant offense that mainly attacks the rim off the bounce, on the offensive glass or in transition.
But the Bearcats run a stout drop-coverage defense anchored by the versatile Dillon Mitchell and the massive Aziz Bandaogo, so they’re among the nation’s best rim defenses (1.04 at-the-rim PPP allowed, 92nd percentile, per Synergy).
They’re also an elite transition defense (six fast-break points per game allowed, first in Big 12, per CBB Analytics) and clean the glass at an above-average rate.
I don’t see the Horned Frogs scoring much in this matchup.
On the other end of the court, the Cincinnati offense continues to improve behind Jizzle James’ resurgence. He’s averaging over 20 points and three assists per game over the past five on 66% true shooting, per CBB Analytics.
The Bearcats run a guard-friendly, ball-screen-centric offense, and the Frogs will attempt to counter that with an aggressive hedge-and-recover defense that will try to force the ball out of James’ hands.
Typically, I’d argue that’s a tough matchup for the ‘Cats. However, James and Day Day Thomas were super efficient running their stuff against Iowa State’s similar defensive structure, with the duo combining for 38 points and six assists, including 29 points on 28 pick-and-rolls (1.04 PPP, per Synergy).
Also, the Bearcats are due for a big bounce-back win returning home after back-to-back tough road losses against Iowa State and West Virginia.
Cincinnati has covered five straight games, and it handled BYU (84-66) and Utah (85-75) on its home court before the road trip. Meanwhile, TCU is 3-7 ATS on the road and 2-5 SU on the road in Big 12 play while ranking 343rd nationally in Haslametrics’ away-from-home metric.
