Syracuse vs. San Diego State Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
-
Nik Kowalski
It was unfortunate that the 30-win San Diego State Aztecs from a year ago didn’t get the chance to compete for a title, but this season’s sixth-seeded Aztecs will have unfinished business on their minds. First up are the 11-seed Syracuse Orange, who were hitting their stride before a buzzer-beater loss in the ACC tournament.
Syracuse vs. San Diego State NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
The Aztecs are not only Mountain West Conference champions for the second time in four years, but are currently riding a 14-game win streak into the tournament. They play a slower-paced game, allowing opponents to score only 60.6 points a game. The Orange play top-heavy, knock down free throws, and don’t turn the ball over.
San Diego State’s opened as a 3-point favourite, with the over-under at 138.5. Even though it could still result in a loss for the Orange, it should be of note that they’ve covered each of their previous five games in March.
(11) Syracuse Orange
Buddy Boeheim, son of head coach Jim Boeheim, is the first Syracuse player named to the ACC All-Tournament First Team. The third-year guard averaged a team-high 17.1 points per game this season. Boeheim had 58 points on 20 of 33 shooting and 11 made three-pointers in the Orange’s two ACC games.
Forwards Alan Griffin and Quincy Guerrier can step up to the plate for Syracuse too, with both averaging 14 a game and Guerrier collecting 8.8 rebounds a night. Boeheim and Griffin are Syracuse’s deep-ball guys, each shooting at least 148 threes and connecting on over 37 per cent of attempts.
With multiple guys who can score and their infamous zone defence, the Orange could be primed to make a run these upcoming weeks.
(6) San Diego St. Aztecs
Mountain West Player of the Year Matt Mitchell is at the forefront of this Aztec attack, scoring a team-high 15.4 a game while contributing with 5.5 rebounds, two assists, and 1.5 steals a night too. San Diego State has sharpshooters all around Mitchell, namely guards Jordan Schakel and Terrell Gomez. Both nailed over 40 per cent of three-pointer attempts which played a big role in the Aztecs ranking 32nd in the country from the arc.
If there’s an area San Diego State may get into trouble Friday, it’s at the line. They knocked down 72.3 per cent of free throws as a team, which ranked 127th this season compared to Syracuse hitting 78.4 per cent for the 12th-best percentage in the country.
SYR
SDSU