San Diego State vs Florida Atlantic Odds: Unlikely Final Four Sees Aztecs favored

First Final Four for SDSU & FAU

One of the most unpredictable NCAA Tournaments in years took another surprising twist this weekend as both San Diego State and Florida Atlantic pulled off upsets to advance to the Final Four for the first time. Of the four remaining schools, only UConn, a four-time NCAA champion, has ever appeared in a national semifinal.

The Aztecs and Owls will take their turn when they squareoff Saturday in Houston. Tip off is scheduled for 6:09 p.m. ET on CBS.

San Diego State vs Florida Atlantic odds are as follows: The Aztecs are a 2-point favorite and -130 on the moneyline, compared to +110 for the Owls. The over/under is currently 131.5.

Aztecs logoSan Diego State Aztecs: Defense anchors Elite Eight upset

San Diego State is headed to the first Final Four in program history after knocking off No. 6 seed Creighton 57-56 to win the South Regional. The fifth-seeded Aztecs — 1.5-point underdogs — nearly threw the game away late, when Creighton’s Baylor Schierman stole an inbound pass and laid it in to tie it 56-56 with 32 seconds left. On the next possession, however, San Diego State’s Darrion Trammell was fouled by Ryan Nembhard while driving for the game-winning shot. Trammell made the back end of his free throws to essentially end it.

Lamont Butler led the Aztecs with 18 points, while Trammell scored 12. Nathan Mensah contributed eight points, six rebounds and three blocks.

Creighton shot only 2-of-17 from 3-point range, committed 10 turnovers, and scored its fewest points since a 63-53 loss to Nebraska on Dec. 4. With 113 combined points, the teams easily hit the under of 133.

The Mountain West Conference champions — who hadn’t been past the Sweet 16 prior to this season — are now 31-6 under Brian Dutcher. They’ve won eight straight games and are 14-1 since Feb. 3.

Owls logoFlorida Atlantic Owls: Cinderella Answers in Clutch

Ninth-seeded Florida Atlantic continued its remarkable NCAA Tournament run with a 79-76 upset of Kansas State in the East Regional final. The Owls — 2-point underdogs — outscored Kansas State 29-19 over the final 11:23 to seal their first trip to the Final Four.

Four Owls scored in double figures, led by Alijah Martin’s 17 points. Bryan Greenlee contributed 16 points and Vladislav Goldin had 14 points and 13 rebounds. Johnell Davis added 13 points, eight boards and six assists.

Afterward, Florida Atlantic’s national championship odds skyrocketed from +2000 to+600. Nevertheless, the Owls remain the biggest longshot in the Final Four behind UConn (-125), San Diego State (+350), and Miami (+450).

Florida Atlantic is one of just nine teams to reach the Final Four as a No. 9 seed or higher. Still, the highest seed to win a national championship was No. 8 Villanova in 1985. Keep that in mind for your March Madness picks.

Coached by Dusty May, the Owls have won 11 straight games. They lead the college basketball standings with 35 wins.

Handicapping The Game

There has never been a Final Four without a No. 1, 2 or 3 seed. That changes this weekend. San Diego State and Florida Atlantic is unquestionably one of the unlikeliest, most random Final Four pairings in years. Yet, one of those two schools is guaranteed to play for a national championship.

San Diego State has been dominant defensively, never more so than in the tournament. Charleston, Furman and Alabama, once the national championship favorite, all shot below 33% from the floor against the Aztecs. Creighton shot 40% but was just 8-of-29 (27.6%) in the second half.The Aztecs rank fourth in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency, per KenPom, and are top 25 in opponents’ scoring.

They are 27-4 this season as a moneyline favorite, while Florida Atlantic has six wins as an underdog, including three this tournament.

Florida Atlantic is balanced offensively, with six players averaging between 7.1 and 13.9 points per game. The Conference USA champions are the only remaining team besides UConn to rank top 25 in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, via KenPom.

Here are some nuggets to chew on for San Diego State vs Florida Atlantic odds: the Owls are 24-12-1 against the spread this season, including 7-3 over their last 10 games. Conversely, San Diego State is 19-15-2 ATS.

For more San Diego State vs Florida Atlantic odds and college basketball betting information, follow pointspreads.com.
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