San Diego State vs. FAU Pick – Final Four Predictions & Odds 4/1/23

The FAU Owls and the San Diego State Aztecs meet in an NCAA Tournament Final Four matchup in college basketball action from NRG Stadium on Saturday evening.

FAU Owls Team Recap

The FAU Owls booked their spot in the final four after picking up a 79-76 win over Kansas State in their last matchup. Alijah Martin led the Owls with 17 points on 6 of 11 shooting with 3 threes and a pair of steals with a pair of blocks as well while Bryan Greenlee added 16 points with 4 threes. Vladislav Goldin added 14 points on 6 of 11 shooting with a team-high 13 rebounds for the double-double and Johnell Davis had 13 points with 8 rebounds and a team-high 6 assists to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for the Owls in the winning effort.

San Diego State Aztecs Team Recap

The San Diego State Aztecs booked their spot in the Final Four thanks to a 57-56 win over Creighton in their last matchup. Lamont Butler led the Aztecs with 18 points on 8 of 11 shooting while Darrion Trammell added 12 points with 5 rebounds as the only other double-digit scorer for San Diego State in the win. Jaedon Ledee and Nathan Mensah each had a team-high 6 rebounds as well to lead the Aztecs on the glass in the victory.

Trends

FAU is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall and 23-9-1 ATS in their last 33 games following an ATS win while the under is 6-2 in their last 8 neutral site games. San Diego State is 15-5-2 ATS in their last 22 games overall and 6-0 ATS in their last 6 neutral site games while the under is 13-3 in their last 16 games against a team with a winning percentage above .600.

Pick

I think a lot of credit has to be given to what San Diego State’s done in the tournament, but it’s worth noting that a questionable call to finish the game against Creighton may have saved the Aztecs as who knows what would’ve happened in that extra five minutes had the game gone to OT. FAU continues to get overlooked but the Owls don’t look like a team that’s just happy to be there, this FAU team has a strong belief that they can win the national championship and FAU has looked as good as every other team that’s made it to the final four. Will San Diego State and that defense be a tough task? Sure, but FAU’s defied expectations every step of the way, what’s one more game? Give me the free bucket with the Owls in this one.