Welcome to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.
First, upstart Florida Atlantic, the No. 9 seed from the East Region, faces Mountain West champion San Diego State, the No. 5 seed in the South Region. Then, Midwest No. 5 Miami takes on fourth-seeded Connecticut, which rolled through the West Region and is the favorite to win the national title.
We’ll be following all the action from both games. Refresh this blog throughout the day to track bad beats, movement on the live betting line, props, halftime bets and much more.
UPDATES
4:43 p.m.: San Diego State woke up after trailing by as many as 14 points. Florida Atlantic now leads 58-51 with 11:11 remaining. Florida Atlantic is -350 on the live line (San Diego State +270), spread -5½, total 153½.
4:33 p.m.: Maybe a little frustration showing from San Diego State? Micah Parrish gets a technical foul for a little People’s Elbow to the gut of a Florida Atlantic player. The Owls lead 51-40 with 14:58 to play.
4:25 p.m.: Florida Atlantic continues to get penetration against the San Diego State defense and leads 49-40 at the under-16 break. Florida Atlantic is -300 on the live line (San Diego State +240), spread -5½, total 145½.
4:17 p.m.: The second half is set to begin. Florida Atlantic is -180 on the live line (San Diego State +150), spread -3, total 143.
4:04 p.m.: Second-half line: San Diego State -4, total 70½.
3:55 p.m.: HALFTIME. Florida Atlantic 40, San Diego State 33. The No. 9 Owls went on a late 14-4 run and covered as 1-point underdogs and +110 on the money line. Nicholas Boyd made three of Florida Atlantic’s six 3-pointers and had a team-high nine points. Nine players scored for the Owls, who shot 53.6 percent from the floor.
Matt Bradley had 11 early points for No. 5 San Diego State but was held scoreless the rest of the half. The Aztecs made five 3-pointers to stay within single digits and help push the half over the total of 59½.
3:43 p.m.: Florida Atlantic is on a 10-2 run and owns a 36-28 lead with 3:30 remaining in the first half. FAU is -210 on the live line (San Diego State +170), spread -4½, total 144½.
The Owls are putting on a show offensively 👏#MarchMadness @FAUMBB pic.twitter.com/Ysz8vP9ld5
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 1, 2023
3:41 p.m.: The first half goes over the total of 59½ with plenty of time to spare.
3:34 p.m.: Florida Atlantic went on a 17-3 run to regain the lead before San Diego State answered. Both teams are shooting well from the floor. It’s tied at 26 with 6:40 until halftime. San Diego State is -130 on the live line (FAU even), spread -1½, total 143½.
Lamont Butler finishes with a smooth move 🔥#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/D7ABiy3q7a
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 1, 2023
3:23 p.m.: The teams are trading runs early. San Diego State leads Florida Atlantic 16-15 at the under-12 timeout. San Diego State is -170 on the live line (FAU +140), spread -3½, total 137½.
3:19 p.m.: Matt Bradley hits his third 3 and San Diego State (-115) cashes the first team to 10 points prop.
3:14 p.m.: Good start for San Diego State, which leads Florida Atlantic 8-5 at the first media break. San Diego State is -210 on the live line (FAU +170), spread -4½, total 132½.
3:10 p.m.: Underway in Houston.
2:52 p.m.: Betting splits at BetMGM.
Two MASSIVE bets in FAU vs. San Diego State 👀
💰 $150K OVER 131.5 (-110) in Nevada
💰 $115K FAU +3 (-115) in Arizona
Are these cashing? pic.twitter.com/cNJsjddiP9
— Caesars Sportsbook (@CaesarsSports) April 1, 2023
2:50 p.m.: Big bets earlier at Caesars Sportsbook.
Two MASSIVE bets in FAU vs. San Diego State 👀
💰 $150K OVER 131.5 (-110) in Nevada
💰 $115K FAU +3 (-115) in Arizona
Are these cashing? pic.twitter.com/cNJsjddiP9
— Caesars Sportsbook (@CaesarsSports) April 1, 2023
2:45 p.m.: Here are some of the props we’ll be tracking today for the Florida Atlantic-San Diego State game:
Team totals: Florida Atlantic 64, San Diego State 66½.
First team to score 10+ points?: Florida Atlantic -105, San Diego State -115.
Florida Atlantic props: Bryan Greenlee 6½ points; Nicholas Boyd 7½ points (under -115); Alijah Martin 12½ points (over -115); Vladislav Goldin 8½ points; Johnell Davis 13½ points (over -115), 5½ rebounds (over -130).
San Diego State props: Darrion Trammell 9½ points (over -120); Keshad Johnson 7½ points (under -120), 4½ rebounds (over -145); Lamont Butler 8½ points, 2½ assists (over -125); Jaedon LeDee 8½ points (under -120), 5½ rebounds (under -115); Matt Bradley 12½ points.
2:25 p.m.: Here is today’s schedule, with point spreads, money lines and totals:
No. 9 Florida Atlantic (+125) vs. No. 5 San Diego State (-2½, 131, -145), 3:14 p.m.
No. 5 Miami (+200) vs. No. 4 Connecticut (-5½, 149, -240), 5:55 p.m.
Contact David Schoen at [email protected] or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.