Livescore
The 2023 NCAA Tournament comes to a close on Monday evening in Houston. The Connecticut Huskies face the San Diego State Aztecs in the NCAA national championship game at NRG Stadium. San Diego State is 32-6 and on a nine-game winning streak after a buzzer-beating win over Florida Atlantic in the finaL Four on Saturday. UConn is 30-8 with all five tournament victories coming by double figures, including a 13-point win over Miami in the national semifinal.
Tipoff is at 9:20 p.m. ET in Houston on CBS. Caesars Sportsbook lists the Huskies as 7-point favorites, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 132.5 in the latest San Diego State vs. UConn odds. Before making any UConn vs. San Diego State picks, be sure to see the NCAA national championship game predictions from SportsLine’s Larry Hartstein.
A former lead writer for Covers and The Linemakers, Hartstein combines a vast network of Vegas sources with an analytical approach he honed while working for Pro Football Focus. He also has been SportsLine’s most profitable college basketball expert. In his last 194 college basketball picks, he has gone 110-83-1, which translates to a $1,875 return for $100 bettors.
Now, the expert has his sights on San Diego State vs. UConn and locked in his NCAA national championship game picks. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the college basketball lines and trends for UConn vs. San Diego State:
- San Diego State vs. UConn spread: UConn -7
- San Diego State vs. UConn over/under: 132.5 points
- San Diego State vs. UConn money line: San Diego State +275, UConn -350
- SDSU: The Aztecs are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games
- CONN: The Huskies are 5-0 ATS in the 2023 NCAA Tournament
- San Diego State vs. UConn picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why San Diego State can cover
San Diego State’s defense is excellent across the board. The Aztecs held Florida Atlantic to just 33% shooting in the second half of Saturday’s Final Four matchup, setting the foundation for a comeback win. San Diego State ranks in the top five of the country in adjusted defensive efficiency this season, with opponents scoring only 94.5 points per 100 possessions against the Aztecs. San Diego State holds opponents to 28.1% shooting from 3-point range, No. 3 in the nation, and the Aztecs also allow only 49.3% shooting on 2-point attempts.
Elsewhere, San Diego State secures more than 74% of available rebounds on the defensive glass and yields fewer than 11 assists and 16 free throw attempts per game. The Aztecs create havoc, including a 19.1% turnover creation rate, and San Diego State has strong marks in block rate (11.9%) and steal rate (10.1%) to go along with a rock-solid attention to detail on defense. See which side to back at SportsLine.
Why UConn can cover
UConn is flying high in the 2023 NCAA Tournament, especially on the offensive end. The Huskies are shooting 49.5% from the floor and 40.3% from 3-point range in five tournament games, generating 20.2 assists and 10.2 offensive rebounds per contest. That leads UConn to a point differential of +20.6 points per game, and Adama Sanogo is leading the way. The talented big man is averaging 20.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game while shooting 68.2% from the floor in the tournament, and Sanogo is a high-end contributor to an offense that is scoring almost 1.15 points per possession this season.
UConn dominates the offensive glass, ranking No. 2 in the country in grabbing 38.6% of missed shots, and the Huskies are also in the top five nationally with 17.7 assists per game. With that top-end offense coupled with a defense that holds opponents to 0.94 points per possession and only 40.1% shooting in 2022-23, UConn is the favorite for a reason. See which side to back at SportsLine.
How to make San Diego State vs. UConn picks
For Monday’s matchup, Hartstein is leaning Over on the total, but he also says a critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back. See what it is at SportsLine.
Who wins San Diego State vs. UConn? And which side of the spread hits hard? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the San Diego State vs. UConn spread you need to jump on Monday, all from the expert who’s on a 110-83 roll on his college basketball picks.
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