Yale vs. San Diego State March Madness Preview and Prediction

In a No. 13 vs. No. 5 matchup in the NCAA Tournament East Region, the Yale Bulldogs face the San Diego State Aztecs in second-round action.

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How to Watch Yale vs. San Diego State

When: 9:40 pm ET on Sunday, March 24th

Where: Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena in Spokane, Washington

Watch: TBS

Odds for Yale vs. San Diego State

(odds current at time of publish)

Spread: San Diego State

Total: 128

DraftKings Betting Splits | Live College Basketball Odds | Yale vs. San Diego State Matchup

East Region No. 13 Yale Bulldogs

Yale made it to the tournament by beating Brown on a buzzer beater in the Ivy league championship game. Now the Bulldogs are going to be a difficult matchup in the dance. Yale is a top-100 team in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, according to Bart Torvik. The Bulldogs play at an extremely slow pace and value every possession, but they usually end up with good shots. They’re rarely forcing anything. Look for them to play through big man Danny Wolf quite a bit — he’s a nightly double-double threat — but the Bulldogs also have four other high-quality players. Yale is also very good about defending the 3-point line, so this team is generally good at making every game close.

East Region No. 5 San Diego State Aztecs

Some of the key contributors from last year’s championship runner-up are back for the class of the Mountain West. The Aztecs are led by forward Jaedon LeDee, who nearly averaged a double-double this season and is one of the smoothest scoring bigs in the nation. San Diego State also has guards Micah Parrish, Lamont Butler and Darrion Trammell back from last season. All of them are capable of having their nights, and the same goes for USC transfer Reese Waters. But the Aztecs are mostly dangerous because of their defense. For the third year in a row, Brian Dutcher has a team that is top 10 in the country in defensive efficiency. The Aztecs are going to try and smother opponents in the tournament, and they’ll then hope an average offense can be just good enough to get the job done. 

Yale vs. San Diego State Preview & Prediction

Yale is going to enter this game with a lot of confidence, with the team coming off a victory over a very good Auburn squad. The Tigers are the fifth-ranked team in Bart Torvik’s adjusted efficiency rankings, and they’re sixth in defensive efficiency. That’s actually better than the Aztecs, who are a defensive-minded team but sit at 13th in adjusted defensive efficiency. And Auburn is much better offensively than San Diego State. With that in mind, there’s no reason to believe the Bulldogs can’t compete in this game.

Yale already looked like a bit of a sleeping giant heading into the tournament, as the team is top 100 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. That’s impressive for a team that isn’t in a major conference. The Bulldogs are also one of the most careful teams in college basketball when it comes to turnovers, and they’re extremely reliable on the defensive glass. They simply make you work very hard to beat them.

This game could come down to the battle between Yale big man Danny Wolf and San Diego State star Jaedon LeDee. Wolf struggled a bit in the win over Auburn, but his teammates were able to pick him up. And Wolf is too good not to show up twice in a row. He should be able to do some damage in the paint in this game, and he’ll also step out and try to knock down some triples. But LeDee is coming off a 32-point performance in a win over UAB. He has now had at least 25 points in three of his last four games. LeDee is capable of scoring around the basket, but he also has a smooth face-up game. If he punishes Wolf offensively, the Aztecs should get the job done. San Diego State is going to have a small edge when it comes to guard play.

Either way, this is a game that can be a lot closer than expected. So, perhaps taking the points with Yale is the move. This should also be a game in which neither team tries to get out and speed things up. Both teams like to play at a snail’s pace, and neither squad launches 3s.

Estimated Score: San Diego State 69, Yale 63

For expert predictions, go to our college basketball best bets page.

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