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Florida Atlantic vs. San Diego State:
The madness is coming to a close in an incredibly dramatic fashion as the NCAA tournament has reached the round of four. Out of the teams remaining, the highest seed is UConn with a 4. I’m a huge fan of such parity, and this has been one of the most insane tournaments we have seen in a long time. There is still time to (responsibly) make some money off of it
Wow Florida Atlantic has had a crazy path to this point in the tournament. As a nine seed they have knocked off a three seed, four seed, and eight seed, proving they were more disrespected in the rankings than Mr. Garrison is by Cartman. While their games have been close, one thing FAU does exceptionally well is close out games. They never take the foot off of the gas and often play much better during the second half. Florida Atlantic is a top 40 team in terms of points per game scoring, top 20 offense by rating, and a top 20 defensive rating. San Diego State is not known as a team that relies on its’ offense, combine that with the great defense of FAU and it could be a rough game for SDSU’s offense. FAU’s offense is led by the guard tandem of Johnell Davis and Alijah Martin with Vladislav Goldin holding it down in the painted area. They’re skilled, efficient, and used to winning as they have not lost a game since February 16th. This team deserves to be in the round of four, and honestly they might make it even further.
Now San Diego State was another team who seems to have been underseeded and disrespected. They finished first in their conference with a record of 31-6 which is unreal. Their path has been tough to get to this point, beating teams like Creighton, first overall seeded Alabama, a 20 point victory over Furman who beat Virginia, and Charleston. While in hindsight it is understandable they made it this far, not many people expected them to be here. While FAU has a more high powered offense, San Diego State is allowing almost ten less points a game than FAU. As we all know defense wins championships, and SDSU has the clear advantage there in my opinion. Only one player for San Diego State averages double digits, but their squad is deeper than a philosophy book with 10 players who score more than 4.2 on average. I just think they’re the more battle tested team, they’re incredibly well coached, and overall more consistent and well rounded.
This is going to be a great game no matter who comes out on top, but San Diego State is the deeper roster and the more consistent team. Bet $5 with FanDuel & get $200 in bonus bets instantly!
UCONN vs. Miami:
What do you call a concoction between two teams that have been on fire this whole tournament and rolling through teams? A game between UMiami and UConn. The only reason that I’m going to attempt to pick a winner is because my job is making me. I also want to say that if I pick the winner of this game then give me a job in the seeding committee because clearly, I know more about basketball than them. Why FAU was a nine-seed is so beyond me. And don’t get me started on how good these two teams have been. I’m gonna roll with UConn because they haven’t looked challenged yet, but UMiami could absolutely win it.
UMiami might be an actual Hurricane. Texas was my last hope at a decent bracket and they went and killed it. So you could call this personal if you want, but I’m also not here to lie to the public. UMiami’s guards have been, apparently unstoppable. When I say that they have three guys who could legitimately win you games, I mean it. Isaiah Wong, Nijel Pack, and Jordan Miller. Each of these guys has broken the 20-point barrier at least once in their run. And I would also like to point out that in their last game against Texas Jordan Miller shot 100% from the field. I’m just gonna say that again because I don’t think you guys are as shell-shocked as you should be. Jordan Miller did not miss a shot the entire game. And it wasn’t like he was a center who took two layups and made them both. This guy had 27 freaking points and led the team in scoring. Can you imagine if Steph Curry, who leads the Warriors in scoring, didn’t miss a shot for a game? He would be hailed as God. I think Stephen A. Smith would have a legitimate heart attack. And it also doesn’t hurt that on their path to UConn, they beat both the one and two seeds. No fluke run for them; this has been a legit title charge for Miami.
However, UConn has me slightly more impressed. Which, yes, after that rant about UMiami might have you questioning my understanding of how the game of basketball works. Don’t you need to score points more efficiently than the other team to win the game? Yes, you’re right, but let’s go over UConn’s path to UMiami, and you tell me if I’m crazy. First game: 87-63 win. Second game: 70-55 win. Third game: 88-65 win. Fourth game: 82-54 win. I don’t know about you, but that looks like a series of games where UConn as a team has had no trouble scoring more efficiently than the other team. Not to mention the fact that it seems like playing against UConn’s defense is like repeatedly running into a brick wall and thinking that at some point you will break through it and your body won’t explode on impact. I’m usually supposed to shout out a player in this segment, but honestly, UConn’s team is so symbiotic that it makes me wonder why the transfer portal is still a thing. The fact that none of these UConn guys are true freshmen has definitely allowed them to gel more as a team, knowing how each guy operates as a player. Who knew team chemistry was such a big factor in winning and losing? (Me, I did). I guess if you wanna press me Jordan Hawkins has had a great stretch of games. In the last two, he’s broken the 20-point barrier and led the team in scoring.
Both of these teams are amazing, and it’s going to be a solid game no matter who wins. But Vegas likes UConn to win the tournament, and I love them to win this game. Bet $5 with FanDuel & get $200 in bonus bets instantly!
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