Charleston vs. San Diego St. Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
A No. 12 beats a No. 5 in the NCAA Tournament almost every year, and that certainly could happen Thursday in South Region action when 31-win and 12th-seeded Charleston of the CAA faces fifth-seeded San Diego State of the Mountain West. The Aztecs are 5-point favourites on the college basketball odds.
NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
The winner of this game faces either No. 4 Virginia or No. 13 Furman in the Round of 32. Since the field expanded to 64 teams in 1985, at least one No. 12 seed has defeated a No. 5 in 32 of 37 tournaments. Overall, the No. 5 leads 95-53. Last year, two 12s advanced: Richmond and New Mexico State.
It’s the sixth all-time trip to the Big Dance for Charleston, which is 1-5 in the NCAA Tournament, and first since 2018. That victory came in the first round over Maryland in 1997. The Cougars are +6590 to win the South and +550 to reach the Sweet 16 with no at -1111.
It’s the 15th NCAA Tournament appearance for San Diego State, 10th in the last 14 years, and fourth in the six seasons since head coach Brian Dutcher took over the program. The Aztecs lost in the first round last year 72-69 in OT vs. Creighton. SDSU is +1045 to win the South, +144 to reach the Sweet 16 and -192 for no.
San Diego State beat Charleston in the lone previous meeting 72-52 in November 2013.
Charleston Cougars (12)
Charleston’s 31 wins are a school record and tied with Houston and Florida Atlantic for the most in the nation. The Cougars enter on a 10-game winning streak as they were the regular-season champions of the CAA (two conference losses by five total points) and ousted UNC Wilmington 63-58 in the CAA Tournament final. Dalton Bolon and Ryan Larson were named finalists for the 2022-23 Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award, which goes to the top mid-major player. Bolon leads the Cougars in scoring (12.3 ppg) and was first-team All-CAA. Larson (10.6 ppg, 4.1 apg), a Wofford transfer, was third team. He was named the CAA Championship MVP while leading the Cougars in the title game with a career-high 23 points. Pat Robinson III (10.6 ppg) was named the league’s Sixth Man of the Year. Charleston’s bench averaged 34 points per game in the regular season, among the most nationally. This team lives and dies behind the three-point arc. The Cougars are 5-2 ATS in their past seven.
San Diego St. Aztecs (5)
San Diego State is annually one of the nation’s top defensive teams and is allowing only 63.6 ppg. The Mountain West was very strong this year and the Aztecs (27-6) were regular-season and conference tournament champions. Their only losses in the past 16 games are to fellow NCAA Tournament teams Nevada and Boise State. SDSU has to win with defence as only Matt Bradley (12.9 ppg), who was first-team All-Mountain West, averages double-digit points, but Coach Brian Dutcher has a very deep team with generally nine players seeing action. Forward Nathan Mensah, who only averages 20.8 minutes per game, was named MW Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season. San Diego State is 11-4-1 ATS in its past 16.
