The 2024 NCAA Tournament will tip off this week and the No. 5 San Diego State Aztecs will face the No. 12 UAB Blazers in the East Region. The game will take place at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, WA on Friday.
San Diego State Aztecs
NET: 21
KenPom Overall: 21
KenPom O: 61
KenPom D: 9
Record: 24-10
Strength of Schedule: 24
Conference: Mountain West
Conference Record: 11-7
Quad 1 Record: 4-9
San Diego State had a good regular season, but didn’t dominate the Mountain West as they have been known to do in recent years. The Aztecs finished the regular season with a 22-9 overall record, going 11-7 in conference play. San Diego State beat UNLV in the second round and upset Utah State to make it to the finals against New Mexico. The Lobos had their number and now the Aztecs will need an at-large bid to go dancing after making the National Championship last year and falling to UConn.
San Diego State forward Jaedon LeDee averaged 21.1 points per game and made the Mountain West’s All-Conference First Team. He is a finalist for the Wooden Award and the Aztecs offense runs through him. San Deigo State is also known for its defense as they have kept opposing teams to a 47.2% effective field goal percentage and only 30.5% shooting from three-point range.
UAB Blazers
NET: 105
KenPom Overall: 106
KenPom O: 62
KenPom D: 208
Record: 23-11
Strength of Schedule: 98
Conference: American
Conference Record: 12-6
Quad 1 Record: 0-4
The UAB Blazers are heading back to the big dance after a one year absence. They made it all the way to the American Athletic Conference Championship and took down Temple to advance. The Blazers finished the regular season with a 20-11 record, going 12-6 in conference play.
UAB was known for its ability to grab boards on offense. It helped the Blazers to extend its possessions and control more of the tempo of the game. UAB also excelled at getting to the foul line, doing so at the 18th-best rate in the league. These little things are what can be difference makers in March Madness, and is why UAB is looking for its first NCAA tournament win since 2015.
2024 March Madness: San Diego State vs. UAB odds
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: SDSU -7.5, UAB +7.5
Over/Under: 134.5
Moneyline: SDSU -310, UAB +250