The No. 1 seed Alabama Crimson Tide continue their quest for their first Final Four when they take on the fifth-seeded San Diego State Aztecs in a South Region Sweet 16 matchup on Friday night. Alabama has lived up to its status as one of the top March Madness picks by easily beating Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Maryland to extend its current winning streak to five games.
San Diego State is also a conference champion, having finished atop the Mountain West Conference college basketball standings before winning the MWC tournament and beating Charleston and Furman to advance to the Sweet 16.
This should be one of the great NCAA basketball games today, so to put together a good San Diego State vs Alabama prediction, let’s take a closer look at this contest.
San Diego State vs. Alabama Information
San Diego State Aztecs vs Alabama Crimson Tide
Location: KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, KY.
Date and Time: Friday, March 24, 2023, 6:30 PM ET.
How to Watch: TBS
Updates for San Diego State vs. Alabama
San Diego State has won six in a row heading into this contest, thanks in large part to its defense. The Aztecs are one of the top NCAA basketball teams on the defensive end, having held their last four opponents to 57 points or fewer.
Senior guard Matt Bradley is the top scorer for the Aztecs, averaging 13.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists this season. Bradley had 17 points, seven rebounds, and four assists in the first-round win over Charleston before going for 10 points in the victory against Furman.
Junior guard Micah Parrish had 16 points off the bench in Saturday’s win over Furman, leading four double-digit scorers for the Aztecs. Parrish is averaging 7.9 points this season.
The Crimson Tide’s Journey
Alabama has been one of the top NCAA basketball teams in the country all season long, leading to the No. 1 overall seed when the NCAA March Madness bracket was released. The Crimson Tide are one of the top NCAAB picks to win it all this season, but they have some work still to do.
Freshman forward Brandon Miller has been one of the top college basketball players in the country, leading the Crimson Tide in scoring and rebounding at 19.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per contest, respectively. Miller is on the college basketball injury report heading into this game with a groin injury, but he’s still considered probable for this contest.
The Crimson Tide have been dominant throughout their NCAAB schedule thanks in part to the depth of the team, especially up front. Forward Noah Clowney (10.0 points, 7.9 rebounds) and center Charles Bediako (6.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.9 blocks) are both paint presences on both ends of the floor.
Guard Mark Sears can catch fire and light up the scoreboard when he gets going. Sears had 15 points in the first round against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and he is averaging 12.4 points on the season.
San Diego State vs. Alabama Betting Preview
Looking at the NCAAB odds as we piece together our San Diego State vs Alabama prediction, the Crimson Tide are not surprisingly favored in this contest.
Spread: Alabama is giving 7.5 points on a point-spread wager, with -110 odds available for whichever team you choose.
Moneyline: If you prefer your March Madness betting odds to be on the moneyline, you can get -350 odds on Alabama to win straight up, or +280 odds on San Diego State to come away with the victory.
Over/Under: The over/under has been set at 137 points, with -110 odds on either side of that bet.
San Diego State vs. Alabama Betting Prediction
Any San Diego State vs Alabama prediction has to come out on the side of the top-seeded Crimson Tide unless you’re going with a big upset.
San Diego State plays some solid defense, but Alabama has a very athletic team that can crash the boards and earn second shots against anyone.
We like this one to be a bit closer than the point spread, but expect the Crimson Tide to advance.
Betting on this event:
Bet on Alabama to prevail.
- As for the correct score, go with Alabama Crimson Tide 78 – 72 San Diego State Aztecs.
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