(5) San Diego State vs. (12) UAB: Betting Tips, Prediction, and Betting Odds

UAB returns to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years to face San Diego State who has now been the the tournament four years in a row and made it all the way to the finals last season. This game favors San Diego State but it could be a close contest.

San Diego Sate has been one of the top teams in college basketball this year. All year they were in and out of the top 25 rankings and won a lot of close games. They also played in one of the more underrated conferences, the Mountain West, which is well represented in the tournament this year.

UAB was expected to be good this year but they had somewhat of a disappointing regular season until the end. They ended the season 5-0 that included winning the American Athletic Conference in their first year in the league. This team is hot and hot teams usually do well in the NCAA Tournament. The spread is set at just 6.5 points right now with UAB as the underdog.

UAB +6.5 is available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

It was good to see UAB cover a spread of this amount against some quality opponents this year. They covered 6.5 points against Clemson and against Maryland in a game they actually won. On the season they have covered 6.5 points in 82% of their games and covered the spread set in their games 61% of the time overall.

San Diego State may win this game but I expect it to be a close one. They won a lot of close games this season, it’s part of their identity as a team and why they are so good. Covering the spread wasn’t their strong suit. In just 41% of games they were able to cover the spread. UAB will look to play with tempo and score a lot of points. San Diego State should be able to hold them off but I expect a close one and for UAB to cover 6.5 points.

Over 139.5 Total Points is available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.

UAB has been smashing over this points total all season long. In 82% of their games the total has gone over 139.5 points. I think this game will be no different. With a small spread for a five vs 12 game, UAB should be able to play their style of basketball and push this total over.

San Diego State doesn’t play at the same pace as UAB but can still score the ball effectively and help push this points total over. They may have to score more than they are accustomed to to get a win in this first-round game. San Diego State has gone over this total in exactly half of their games. I like this game to be high scoring as UAB pushes San Diego State until the end.

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