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Raise your hand if you feel personally victimized by this year's March Madness 🙋‍♂️

I jumped on the UConn bandwagon a bit early, and a +900 future on the Huskies could turn everything around for me, but jeez, from a betting perspective this tournament has been even more difficult to predict than usual 😬

• I know, they say something along those lines every year, but let’s sum it up one more time — the biggest upset in college basketball history, zero No. 1 seeds in the elite 8 for the first time ever, and a 4-seed as -125 title favorite entering the Final Four 🤯

If that ain’t enough Madness for ya, just think; either San Diego State or Florida Atlantic will have the chance to play for a national championship on Monday. To say it’s a Final Four matchup few people saw coming would be an understatement ⬇️

The Aztecs and Owls will be the first the take the floor on Saturday at NRG Stadium in Houston - here’s how the lines are shaping up 👇

No. 5 SDSU vs. No. 9 FAU Betting Preview (subject to change)

• Spread: SDSU -1.5

• Moneyline: SDSU -137 (bet $137, win $100), FAU +114 (bet $100, win $114)

• O/U: 131.5

• When: 6:09PM EST on CBS

A 5-seed and a 9-seed meeting in the Final Four is unexpected in its own right, but that doesn’t even tell the full story 

• On one side, we have a representative of a Mountain West Conference that had become synonymous with March disappointment in recent years, and SDSU, despite being a tournament regular, was firmly part of that narrative

• On the other side, an FAU team that was picked to finish fifth in lowly Conference-USA this season, with no previous tournament wins ever, and facilities that brought their head coach to tears just a few years ago 😳

Don’t get it twisted though, this isn’t a couple of fluky runs. It’s clear both teams were severely underrated entering the tournament, and the victor has legit shot at winning one more to become one of the most surprising national champions ever 🏆

Aztecs or Owls?

So, who are you backing on Saturday; the Aztecs and their suffocating defense, or the high-flying Boys from Boca? 🤔

• Based on the spread, oddsmakers are giving the slimmest of edges to SDSU, and a very conservative over/under total shows just how stingy they’ve been on the less glamorous side of the ball this month 😤

But being an underdog ain't anything new to FAU — this will be the fourth time in five tournament games the Owls are dogs, and look how that's gone so far 😏

• Dusty May's squad simply loves proving doubters wrong, especially if they can do so in dramatic fashion. FAU has trailed in the second half of each game so far, and who can forget how dangerously close they were to being sent home in the first round ⬇️

It's been a run of thrillers and nail-biters that has FAU looking like a team of destiny, but don't chalk it all up to March magic ✨

• Led by sophomore guard Johnell Davis, who impacts the game in so many ways beyond just his team-leading 13.9 PPG, the Owls are deep, talented, and they thrive on second-chance opportunities by crashing the offensive glass

• However, they should find more resistance than usual on that front going up against SDSU. For the Aztecs, the question is whether or not they can do enough on the offensive end

SDSU was able to take down a red-hot Creighton team in the Elite 8, despite just two points from leading scorer and First Team All-Mountain West selection Matt Bradley. Whether or not his shot starts falling, I still think I gotta back the Aztecs this weekend 🤔

For My Parlay Gurus

I'm about as torn as oddsmakers are on this one, but I've been doubting the San Diego State defense for too long. I won't make that mistake again, and I certainly won't bet against a streak of unders. Check out this parlay 👇

• SDSU ML vs. FAU: -137

• Under 131.5 Total Points: -110

$100 on this bet would win you $237 — if we hit, make sure you email [email protected] for a chance to win up to $100*. Many will enter, only some will win 😉

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