Florida Atlantic vs. San Diego State 2023 March Madness Final Four Odds and Preview

By Hank Blaine • March 28, 2023

It’s arguably the most unlikely Final Four matchup in NCAA Tournament history on Saturday from Houston when No. 9 Florida Atlantic of Conference USA faces No. 5 San Diego State from the Mountain West.

Nitrobetting is ready to dish out key assists and lob passes with betting tips and news coverage throughout the 2023 March Madness tournament. This time, let’s take a closer look at the upcoming Final matchup between the Florida Atlantic Owls and the San Diego State Aztecs along with the latest NCAAB odds for this massive 2023 March Madness showdown.

Florida Atlantic vs. San Diego State 2023 March Madness Final Four Game Information

Jobs not finished. #TheTimeIsNow #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/GntYSMZr1X
— San Diego State Men's Basketball (@Aztec_MBB) March 27, 2023

When: Saturday, Aoril 1, 4:09 PM ET
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
TV: CBS
Radio: 640-WMEN (Florida Atlantic) // San Diego Sports 760 (San Diego State)
Live Stream: March Madness Live
NCAAB Betting Odds: Florida Atlantic (+2) // San Diego State (-2)

Why Bet on the Florida Atlantic Owls?

Florida Atlantic (35-3) has the most wins in Division I and was the Conference USA regular season and tournament champion. The Owls advanced to their first Final Four with a 79-76 win over No. 3 Kansas State. Only six teams seeded lower than the Owls have ever played in a national semifinal, so they’re in pretty rare company.

With K-State seemingly gaining control after a 3-pointer from Markquis Nowell gave the Wildcats a 63-57 lead with 8:39 to play, it was Florida Atlantic that responded with a 15-1 run to flip the deficit into a 72-64 lead with 2:44 remaining. The Owls scored 10 straight points after the Nowell 3-pointer, taking the lead for good on a dunk by sophomore Vladislav Goldin with 6:12 left.

In a game where both teams shot nearly the same from the field, it was the rebounding that proved to be the deciding factor for the Owls, as they held a 44-22 advantage on the glass, including 14 offensive rebounds that they converted into a 15-2 edge in second-chance points. Four FAU players scored in double figures led by 17 by sophomore Alijah Martin to reach 1,000 career points. Johnell Davis flirted with a triple double, finishing the night with 13 points, eight rebounds, and six assists.

“It’s extremely rewarding to see a group give as much as these guys have all season, shots, playing time, minutes, everything you could imagine, grit, everything 100 percent every day in practice, and then be rewarded because there’s never a guarantee. You’re always relying on faith that you believe it’s going to happen, but you never really know. In this era where everyone wants the whole pie, these guys continued sharing the pie every single day, and this was the result. I couldn’t be prouder of a group who did it really together every single day,” said coach Dusty May.

With 10:01 left against Memphis in the first round, FAU was down seven points before coming back to win. The Owls lost their momentum — and a seven-point halftime lead — against Fairleigh Dickinson in the second round, but took it back in a thrilling eight-minute run before ultimately winning by eight. Down six against Tennessee midway through the second half — FAU won that game by seven points. And the Owls were once again down seven against Kansas State with 12 minutes to go in the Elite Eight.

Florida Atlantic entered the tournament as long as 500-1 to win it all at some sportsbooks. The Owls were so far off the radar that some books.

Why Bet on the San Diego State Aztecs?

San Diego State (31-6), the Mountain West regular-season and tournament champion, advanced to its first Final Four with a 57-56 win over No. 6 Creighton. Senior guard Darrion Trammell was fouled by Creighton’s Ryan Nembhard when he put up a floater near the free-throw line with 1.2 seconds left in a rugged NCAA Tournament East Region final that was tied at 56-all. Trammell’s first free throw clanged off the rim, but he knocked down the second.

Creighton’s Baylor Scheierman threw the ensuing inbound pass the length of the floor. San Diego State’s Aguek Arop and Creighton’s Arthur Kaluma both jumped for it and the ball deflected out of bounds. Officials reviewed the play and determined that time had expired, and the celebration was on for the Aztecs. They held the Bluejays to 23 second-half points on 28% shooting as they won for the 14th time in 15 games. Creighton shot 40% overall.

No team in the NCAA tournament has registered more than 90 points per 100 possessions against this very good San Diego State defense. The Aztecs lack the offensive juice that’s pushed past NCAA champions, although three different players (Matt Bradley, Lamont Butler, Trammell) have been their leading scorers in the tournament. Bradley leads the Aztecs in scoring overall, averaging 12.3 points per game. He hits 35.8 percent of 3-point shots and is an 80 percent shooter from the free throw line.

This is an experienced SDSU group, with four rotation players (Keshad Johnson, Nathan Mensah, Adam Seiko and Aguek Arop) left over from the 2019-20 Aztecs team that finished 30-2 and ranked sixth in the country. That team was unable to test its mettle in the NCAA Tournament because the season was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brian Dutcher is the head coach for San Diego State basketball. He’s led the program since 2017, taking over after legendary Steve Fisher retired. Dutcher is a Fisher disciple and was on the coach’s staff when he led Michigan to the 1989 national championship.

Florida Atlantic vs. San Diego State Betting Trends

Owls are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 games overall.
Florida Atlantic is 10-0 SU in their last 10 games.
The total went under in 5 of Florida Atlantic’s last 7 games.
Aztecs are 15-5-2 ATS in the last 22 games overall.
San Diego State are 8-0 SU in the last 8 games.
The total went under in 10 of San Diego State’s last 10 games.

Florida Atlantic vs. San Diego State Expert Prediction

San Diego State 66, FAU 63.

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This is just one of the many sports betting guides that you can read here at Nitrobetting news. Stay tuned for more 2022-23 NCAAB season previews and articles and don’t forget to check out the latest basketball betting odds on our online BTC sportsbook.

*All odds stated are subject to change without prior notice.