The NCAA Men’s Basketball National Championship is set with the five-seed San Diego State Aztecs (32-6) battling the four-seed UConn Huskies (30-8). SDSU is playing in the school’s first national title game, while UConn is vying for its fifth national championship.
Monday’s title tips off at 9:20 p.m. EST inside NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. UConn is a 7.5-point betting favorite, and the over/under is 132.5 points.
What to Know – #5 San Diego State Aztecs
The Aztecs won both the Mountain West regular season and conference tournament title and now can re-write the SDSU men’s basketball history books with a victory Monday night. SDSU’s last two games have been one-point victories. In his sixth season as head coach of the Aztecs, Brian Dutcher is coaching in his first national title game.
Offensively, SDSU is averaging 71.5 points per game thanks to 44.1% shooting from the field and 35.1% from the 3-point line. The Aztecs defense is their strength, limiting opposing teams to 63.1 ppg, 40.9% shooting from the floor, and 28.2% from three.
Leading scorer Michael Bradley stepped up to score 21 points in Saturday’s win over Florida Atlantic, but it was Lamont Butler who cashed in on the game-winning shot to send the Aztecs to the championship. Jaedon Lee came off the bench to add 12 points for the SDSU.
San Diego State is 19-17-1 against the spread this year and 7-5 in contests played on a neutral floor. The Aztecs are 7-1 ATS over their last eight games played against teams from the Big East Conference.
What to Know – #4 UConn Huskies
UConn was a team many talked about as a potential dark horse, and here the Huskies are looking for the school’s fifth national title. Playing their best basketball of the season, the Huskies have won all five tournament games by double-digits. Head coach Dan Hurley, in his 13th season as head coach and fifth at UConn, will shoot for his first national title.
On offense, the Huskies score 78.6 ppg while shooting 46.4% from the floor and 36.3% from deep. UConn’s defense surrenders 64.3 ppg, 40.1% shooting from the field, and 29.8% from beyond the arc.
The scoring duo of Adama Sanogo (17.2 ppg) and Jordan Hawkins (16.2 ppg) gives opposing defenses a pair of effective scorers to prepare for. Sanogo was 9-of-11 from the floor against Miami on Saturday, including a 2-for-3 effort from three for the 6’9 forward.
The Huskies own a 26-12 record ATS with a 9-1 mark in ten games played at a neutral location. UConn has covered the spread in all five matchups during the NCAA Tournament.
The Pick is In
Defense wins championships is an old saying and holds true this season in men’s basketball. Two defensive-minded teams take the floor for the 2023 title. SDSU’s run has been exciting, but the Huskies have looked like a team on a mission. UConn pulls away late in the second half to claim their fifth title.
The Pick: UConn Huskies -7.5
