The 2022-23 college basketball season comes to an end from NRG Stadium in Houston on Monday as fifth-seeded San Diego State faces No. 4 UConn in the NCAA Tournament title game. The Huskies are solid favorites to win their fifth championship, while SDSU is in the final for the first time.

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 San Diego State Aztecs and the UConn Huskies along with the latest NCAAB odds for this massive 2023 March Madness showdown.

San Diego State vs. UConn 2023 National Championship Game Information

• When: Saturday, April 3, 9:20 PM ET
• Where: NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
• TV: CBS
• Radio: Sports Diego 760 (San Diego State) // 97.7 FM (UConn)
• Live Stream: March Madness Live
• NCAAB Betting Odds: San Diego State(+7.5) // UConn (-7.5)

Why Bet on the San Diego State Aztecs?

No team seeded fifth has won the national title game. The Aztecs advanced with a 72-71 win over No. 9 Florida Atlantic. It was the second consecutive game San Diego State has won by one point, and the third in which the Aztecs have had to rally in the second half in this tournament. Lamont Butler won it with a 17-foot jumper at the buzzer vs. FAU, the first time a team hit a game-winning buzzer-beater in a Final Four game when trailing.

The biggest decision San Diego State’s coaches had came with 36.2 seconds to go in the second half and Florida Atlantic holding the ball and a one-point lead. The Aztecs had to decide whether to purposely foul and extend the game or defend straight up and hope enough time remained to generate a good look at a game winner. SDSU didn’t foul and got the rebound of an FAU miss, which set up Butler’s heroics. It was the only time San Diego State led in the second half – it trailed by as many as 14.

“(Coach) told me to go downhill, get something at the rim,” Butler said. “They did a good job cutting me off. Once I looked up, it was two seconds left, I knew I had to make a shot. I got to a shot I’m comfortable with, went to a pull-up. I’m glad it went in.”

San Diego State became just the third team ever to win back-to-back NCAA Tournament games by one point (also Loyola Chicago in 2018 and St. Joseph’s in 1981). SDSU is 7-0 this season in games decided by three or less points.

San Diego State became just the third team ever to win back-to-back NCAA Tournament games by one point (also Loyola Chicago in 2018 and St. Joseph’s in 1981). SDSU is 7-0 this season in games decided by three or fewer points.

San Diego State has won 15 of its last 16 games (15-1) and 19 of its last 21 (19-2) with the two losses coming on the road against NCAA Tournament teams Nevada (14-2 at home) and Boise State (14-1 at home). SDSU is 25-2 on the season with 11 straight wins when outrebounding its opponent (110-12 under Coach Brian Dutcher). Until this NCAA tourney, the furthest SDSU had advanced was the Sweet 16 — twice (2011 and ’14).

Why Bet on the UConn Huskies?

Connecticut advanced with a 72-59 win over No. 5 Miami. Starting with three straight 3s — one jumper Jordan from Hawkins and two of those set shots from Adama Sanogo — UConn took a quick 9-0 lead and never trailed. Sanogo led all players in points (21) and rebounds (10), finishing 9-of-11 from the floor and 2-of-3 beyond the arc. Prior to connecting on his first two 3-pointers in the first 3:06, Sanogo was just 1-of-9 over the Huskies’ last 11 games and had not hit one since 3/1/23 versus DePaul. Hawkins added 13 points on 3-of-7 long-range shooting.

The Huskies held the Hurricanes, who average nearly 80 points per game and have the fifth-most efficient offense in the country, to their fewest points of the season, both in the first half and for the game. Miami shot just 31% inside the arc and didn’t make a basket for the last six minutes of the game. It was the second game in a row that UConn’s defense was the catalyst for the win.

“We feel like we’re the best defense in the nation,” guard Tristen Newton said. “We feel like people don’t play teams like us every year. The Big East is a real physical league, and coming from those conferences, I don’t feel like they have teams that play defense like the Big East does.”

The Huskies are the sixth team since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985 to reach the title game with five straight double-digit victories. Four of the five previous teams went on to win the title. UConn is perfect 4-0 in national championship games, winning in 1999, 2004, 2011 and 2014.

These teams last met in a 2011 Sweet 16 matchup in Anaheim, with UConn defeating San Diego State 74-67. The Huskies were a No. 3 seed, while the Aztecs were seeded 2nd.

San Diego State vs. UConn Betting Trends

• San Diego State is 7-2 against the spread during their current nine-game winning streak.
• The Aztecs are 3-4 in the last seven games as underdogs (5-2 ATS).
• The totals went under in all but one of SDSU’s last 13 games.
• UConn is 11-1 in its last 12 games dating back to the 18th of February (10-2 ATS).
• The Huskies are 13-1 over its last 14 games as favorites to win (11-3 ATS).
• The totals went under in seven of Connecticut’s last nine outings.

San Diego State vs. UConn Expert Prediction

As inspiring as San Diego State’s run has been, there’s way too much talent on UConn’s side. The Huskies have blown out the competition and it took a couple of miraculous victories for the Aztecs just to reach the title game. And although the Huskies are facing a tough SDSU defense, we still expect them to cover the three-possession point spread and win in a relatively convincing fashion to become five-time national champs.

Where to Bet on the 2023-24 NCAAB season with Crypto

Nitrobetting offers a solid channel for those who want to bet on the College Basketball season with crypto. The power of crypto and its lightning-fast transactions make the entire NCAAB Season betting more enjoyable.

This is just one of the many sports betting guides that you can read here at Nitrobetting news. Stay tuned for more 2023-24 NCAAB season previews and articles, and don’t forget to check out the latest college basketball betting odds on our online crypto sportsbook.