Furman vs San Diego State Basketball Prediction & Picks (March Madness 2023 Second Round)

Last Update: Sat Mar 18, 2023, 8:08 am ET

Read Time: 4 minutes

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After upsetting Virginia in the program's first March Madness appearance since 1980, Furman will look to stick around on the dance floor for another weekend as they face San Diego State this afternoon in a second-round matchup in Orlando (12:10 pm ET, CBS).

The winner of the matchup between the 13th-seeded Paladins (28-7) and fourth-seeded Aztecs (28-6) will face either #1 overall seed Alabama or #8 Maryland in the South Regional semis in Louisville, Kentucky next Friday.

Will the Paladins reach the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 1974? Or will the Aztecs move on to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2014? Read on for our Furman vs San Diego State prediction and picks.

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Furman vs San Diego State Odds

Odds are via BetOnline as of Saturday, March 18, 2023.

Spread

Furman +5.5 (-110)
San Diego State -5.5 (-110)

Over/Under

Over 137.5 (-110)
Under 137.5 (-110)

Moneyline

Furman +195
San Diego State -245

Can Furman Pull a Second Straight March Madness Upset?

JP Pegues Furman Virginia game winner March Madness upset

Against Virginia, the Paladins found themselves down by 12 with under 11 minutes left.

But after scoring just 38 points in the first 29 minutes, they outscored the Cavaliers 30-17 over the final 10:54.

Even after Virginia respond to Furman taking a three-point lead by going on a seemingly decisive 7-0 run, the Paladins didn't blink.

In the last dozen seconds, we saw the following:

Garrett Hien, who went into the game shooting 50.9% from the foul line this season, sank two free throws.
Furman's defensive pressure forced Kihei Clark, one of the most experienced players in college basketball history, into an ill-advised heave of a pass that was intercepted by Hien.
JP Pegues, who had missed his last 15 three-point attempts, received Hien's pass, then swiftly and coolly sank a game-winning three.

As I noted in my March Madness sleepers piece, Furman entered the Big Dance as a hot team, with six straight wins and 14 wins in 15 games. In that stretch, they had an 11-4-0 ATS record.

But at this time of year, I like to look less at specific betting trends and more at the makeup of the team and what they have shown.

Furman was only 12 of 28 on two-point shots against Virginia, but they went into the game tops in the nation in two-point percentage.

Also, they made ten threes against Virginia, and they are 8-2 SU and ATS when making 10+ threes against Division I opposition this season.

Last but not least, all five Furman starters are capable of scoring in double digits or coming up clutch offensively when needed.

Furman vs San Diego State Prediction and Picks

Prediction for Furman vs San Diego State: Furman to win

Picks for Furman vs San Diego State: Furman +5.5 (Best Value: BetMGM) & Furman team total over 65.5 (BetUS)

Where to Bet on Furman vs San Diego State

Here are four legal sports betting sites that we highly recommend and have reviewed, where you can bet on this year's NCAA men's and women's tournaments, as well as the 2023 NIT.