NCAA Tournament: San Diego State vs FAU Lines, Prediction, & Start Time

The Final Four matchup between two unlikely teams has taken everyone by surprise. The eighth fifth seed and third nine seed ever to reach this stage will battle it out on Saturday, and the game promises to be another nail-biting affair. With an unprecedented Final Four on the horizon, there is plenty to watch, bet, and look forward to.

The Aztecs have had an impressive tournament run, defeating Charleston, Furman, overall top seed Alabama, and most recently Creighton. They came into the tournament ranked 25th in points allowed, but have significantly outplayed their regular season numbers. In fact, they have held their opponents to an impressive 57.25 points per game, including Alabama, the eighth highest scoring offense, to just 64 points.

However, while their defense has carried them this far, they need to step up their scoring game to advance to the championship. Matt Bradley and Darrion Trammell have both had multiple quality games, but they may need to combine their efforts to give the Aztecs the offensive firepower they need. San Diego State is now +380 to win it all and has surprised many this tournament, but as favorites in the Final Four, they must continue to scrap their way to victory. 

The Owls have proven that they can win in a variety of ways and against different styles of play. They can outscore and outshoot their opponents, as they did when they beat Fairleigh Dickinson 78-70 and Kansas State 79-76. Alternatively, they can win a tight, low-scoring defensive battle, as they did when they defeated Memphis 66-65 and Tennessee 62-55. 

FAU has gotten solid performances up and down their roster all tournament, having at least three players score in double digits in each game. Although it’s been a full team effort, junior guard Johnell Davis has led the way for the Owls. Davis has averaged 17.5 points and 7.8 rebounds including a 29 point effort. FAU came in as a well rounded team and have done everything they can do to prove that to the rest of the country. The Owls are two wins away from becoming the lowest seed ever to win a National Championship.

In what’s sure to be a tightly contested game, it will be interesting to see the style of play. We believe that FAU has the advantage in high scoring games and can hold their own in low scoring games. No matter what kind of game is played, we expect FAU to cover the +1.5 point spread.