2011 NCAA Tournament Predictions – Temple Owls vs SDSU Aztecs Preview
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#7 Temple vs. #2 San Diego St.
NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET – WEST REGION
Date/Time: Saturday, March 19, 6:10 p.m. ET
Venue: McKale Center, Tucson, AZ
Broadcast: CBS
Temple Owls vs. San Diego State Aztecs Betting Lines from Sportsbook.com
Money Line: Temple +200, San Diego State -240
Spread: San Diego State -5.5
Over/Under: 124.5
Check Out Our Indepth CBB ATS Betting Stats For This Game —>
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Temple Owls (26-7)
The Round of 64 had no shortage of drama as it opened on Thursday and the Temple Owls were right in the thick of it. They battled Penn State down to the wire and found themselves deadlocked with the Nittany Lions after Taylor Battle drained one of his five three-pointers.
But Temple’s star players delivered when it mattered most. Ramone Moore and Juan Fernandez chipped in 23 points each and Fernandez came through with the game-winning bucket in the dying moments.
Even though San Diego State is inexperienced, picking Temple to cover the 5.5-point spread looks like a risky proposition. Temple is 2-6 against the spread over its last eight games.
San Diego State Aztecs (33-2)
Obviously, the second-seeded San Diego State Aztecs were expected to beat Northern Colorado on Thursday, but bettors still had some pause. After all, the Aztecs had never won an NCAA Tournament game before. But we can break out the confetti now; the Aztecs overcame some early jitters to win 68-50.
Offensively, San Diego state did enough to win, with Kawhi Leonard’s 21-point effort leading the way. But it was the Aztecs’ trademark “D,” which ranks sixth in the nation that told the story. It held Northern Colorado to 33.9 per cent shooting.
Trends:
Over is 6-1-1 in TEMP last 8 non-conference games.
Under is 10-3 in TEMP last 13 neutral site games.
Over is 9-4-1 in TEMP last 14 Sat. games.
SDST are 34-16-1 ATS in their last 51 Sat. games.
The pick:
Based on spread trends, San Diego State looks like a good choice. At 21-12, it has one of the better ATS records among the high seeds in the tourney, and Temple has struggled to cover of late. Temple’s tandem of Moore and Fernandez makes me wonder if the Owls can keep this one closer than 5.5 points but it’s not like those two are Marcus and Markieff Morris. They haven’t been truly dominant forces all season. So I think the Aztecs will build on their first win, rely on their smothering defense and keep moving in March Madness.
Temple vs San Diego State prediction: San Diego State 61, Temple 53
Money Line: San Diego State -240
Spread: San Diego State -5.5
Over/Under: UNDER 124.5