The No. 1 Arizona Wildcats survived their first two games of the NCAA Tournament last week, and they'll now take on the No. 4 San Diego State Aztecs in the West Region Sweet 16 on Thursday.
Arizona opened their tournament run with wins over No. 16 Weber State and No. 8 Gonzaga, while San Diego State is coming off a pair of victories over No. 13 New Mexico State and No. 12 North Dakota State in their first two games.
Arizona was favored by 6.5 points and climbing at Sportsbook this week while the total was remaining steady around 122 at Sportsbook. But underdog bettors recall how No. 4 seeds went 2-1 SU against top seeds last year in considering the Aztecs here at +6.5.
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Arizona is 7-1 ATS in its past eight tournament games, while the UNDER is 6-0-1 in seven meetings of these teams since 2005.
San Diego State 3-1 ATS vs Arizona since 2009 in preseason tournaments.
Odds Shark computer pick - 66.6-60.6 Arizona
The Aztecs will try to spoil to the party on Thursday; they are 19-13 ATS against the number this season, while the Wildcats are 21-14 ATS. San Diego State is 8-24 on the totals; Arizona is 11-23-1.
View San Diego State Aztecs vs Arizona Wildcats Odds and Stats.
The power rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Wildcats rated this week at No. 6 and the Aztecs sitting at No. 9.
San Diego State was a 63-44 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against North Dakota State. They covered the 4-point spread as favorites. Xavier Thames poured in a team-high 30 points for San Diego State on Saturday, as they defeated North Dakota State 63-44 at Spokane Arena.
Arizona won its last outing, an 84-61 result against Gonzaga on March 23. They covered in that game as a 7.5-point favorite. Arizona cruised to victory on Sunday, running Gonzaga out of the gym and running up an 84-61 score at Viejas Arena at Aztec Bowl.
How They Match Up:
The game also pits Arizona's No. 77-ranked offense, averaging 73.22 PPG, against a Aztecs defense that ranks No. 2 at 56.63 PPG. The Wildcats field goal percentage has averaged 47.12% so far, more than the Aztecs marksmen have achieved on the year, 43.58% per game.
A few Aztecs at Wildcats trends to consider:
San Diego State is 6-3 ATS in its last 9 games
San Diego State is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Diego State's last 6 games
San Diego State is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing Arizona
Arizona is 21-4 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Arizona's last 6 games
Arizona is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing San Diego State
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Arizona's last 7 games when playing San Diego State
