The Elite Eight continues Sunday with a South Region matchup between the No. 6 Creighton Bluejays (24-12) and the No. 5 San Diego State Aztecs (30-6) at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky, with tipoff scheduled for 3:20 pm ET.
The Bluejays are the slight favorites in this one. They are -128 to win, while the Aztecs’ moneyline sits at +106. The spread features San Diego State as a 1.5-point underdog (-105), and the over/under for total points is 133.5 (-110).
Creighton Looks For First Trip Ever To Final Four
In school history, Creighton only made the Elite Eight one other time, which was back in 1941. Looking to make their first Final Four ever, the Bluejays will have the challenging task of taking down San Diego State.
In their last game, on Friday, Creighton was able to put an end to the Cinderella story of the Princeton Tigers. In their 86-75 win, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Baylor Scheierman, and Trey Alexander combined for 62 points, 18 rebounds, and eight assists.
Those three have led a Creighton team that ranks 38th in the nation in scoring, averaging 77 points per game. Kalkbrenner led the team averaging 15.9 points per game, while Alexander (13.7 points) and Scheierman (12.8 points) were also significant contributors.
Defensively, Creighton ranks 121st in the country, allowing opponents an average of 68.7 points per game (71.3 per game over the last three).
San Diego Flying High After Taking Down Top-Ranked Alabama
If there were any doubters before, San Diego proved they were the real deal on Friday with a dominant 71-64 win over the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide.
In the Aztecs’ win, Darrion Trammell had a game-high 21 points, while Jaedon LeDee had 12. Their defense was the most impressive part, which held Alabama superstar Brandon Miller to just nine points on the night.
That Aztec defense ranks 23rd in the nation, allowing opponents just 63.3 points per game. In their last three contests, they have allowed just 57.7 points per game.
On the offensive side, San Diego State ranks 163rd, averaging 71.2 points per game, led by guard Matt Bradley, averaging 12.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.
Bradley is the only player who has averaged double digits this season, but Trammell (9.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists), Lamont Butler (8.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists), and LeDee (7.9 points, 5.3 rebounds) have also been significant contributors.
Take San Diego State To Win Outright
Neither team was expected to vie for a Final Four spot, but both have proven they can compete with the best in the country.
This one could go either way, hence the spread of 1.5 points, but after dominating the best team in the country for most of their last game, there is a lot of value in San Diego State in this one.
Take the Aztecs to win this outright at +106.
