Furman vs. San Diego State prediction and odds for NCAA Tournament Second Round

Furman had the most electric moment of the first round by stunning Virginia in the final seconds of their Round of 64 to advance to the Round of 32 against Mountain West champion San Diego State.

The Paladins, the Southern Conference tournament winners, are backed by their vaunted offense but will run into an elite defense in San Diego State. Can they keep their March Madness alive with another upset win?

Here are the odds for Saturday’s second round meeting:

Furman vs. San Diego State odds, spread and total

Furman vs. San Diego State prediction and pick

While Furman’s shot wowed the college hoops crowd, the team also buried itself down double digits in the first half with their inability to slow down Virginia’s interior attack. The Cavaliers shot 52% on two-point shots and led in the final seconds despite hitting on just two of their 12 three-point attempts.

The Paladins have an elite offense that will not have to bench their star guard Mike Bothwell for much of the game due to foul trouble, they are 14th in effective field goal percentage, but San Diego State boasts one of the best perimeter defenses in the entire country. The Aztecs are as good as any team in the country outside the paint, limiting foes to below 29% from beyond the arc and turning foes over at a top third rate nationally.

On the other side, the Aztecs can dominate inside where the Paladins struggle, 256th in field goal percentage allowed at the cup and one of the worst transition defense in the country, bottom 25 nationally.

If SDSU is able to generate turnovers and suffocate the Furman ball handlers, this game can get out of hand quickly. I like the Aztecs to win this one and stop the Paladins run after one game.

Track all of Reed’s bets at Betstamp HERE!

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.