How and what to watch for No. 9 Florida Atlantic vs. No. 5 San Diego State in Final Four of 2023 NCAA Tournament

The first Final Four matchup for the 2023 NCAA Men’s Tournament has been set as the No. 9 Florida Atlantic Owls will battle the No. 5 San Diego State Aztecs on Saturday, April 1. This national semifinal showdown will take place at NRG Stadium in Houston, TX, and will be televised on CBS.

Game date: Saturday, April 1
Game time: 6:09 p.m. ET
TV channel: CBS
Location: NRG Stadium, Houston, TX

Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread: San Diego State -2
Total: 132.5
Moneyline: San Diego State -130, Florida Atlantic +110

No. 9 Florida Atlantic 35-3 (18-2 C-USA)

First Round: Defeated No. 8 Memphis 66-65
Second Round: Defeated No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson 78-70
Sweet 16: Defeated No. 4 Tennessee 62-55
Elite Eight: Defeated No. 3 Kansas State 79-76
KenPom rating: 17 Overall, 25 Offense, 29 Defense
Leading scorer: Johnell Davis (13.4 ppg)
Key stat of tournament: Held No. 4 Tennessee to 35% shooting in the Sweet 16

This Cinderella story is adding another chapter, and it takes place at the Final Four in Houston. In a nail-biting thriller that went down to the closing seconds, FAU outlasted No. 3 Kansas State 79-76 in their Elite Eight matchup Saturday night. Led by a balanced scoring attack with four of their five starters finishing in double-digits, the Owls shot 48.1 percent from the floor and 39.1 percent from deep to send the Wildcats home in a huge upset. FAU was dominant on the glass, outrebounding Kansas State 44-to-22 while doubling their efforts on the offensive glass, hauling in 14 offensive rebounds to the Wildcats’ five. The Owls become just the third No. 9 seed ever to head to the Final Four.

No. 5 San Diego State 31-6 (15-3 Mountain West)

First Round: Defeated No. 12 Charleston 63-57
Second Round: Defeated No. 13 Furman 75-52
Sweet 16: Defeated No. 1 Alabama 71-64
Elite Eight: Defeated No. 6 Creighton 57-56
KenPom rating: 14 Overall, 70 Offense, 4 Defense
Leading scorer: Matt Bradley (12.8 ppg)
Key stat of tournament: First Final Four appearance in program history

San Diego State survived a nailbiter in the Elite Eight on Sunday, downing No. 6 Creighton 57-56 to win the South Region and advance to the Final Four. This was a struggle throughout the game as both teams shot roughly 40% from the field throughout the afternoon. With the game tied late, Darrion Trammell was fouled by Creighton’s Ryan Nembhard with 1.2 seconds left. He missed the first free throw but drained the second to give the Aztecs the edge and the win. Lamont Butler led SDSU with 18 points.