NCAA Basketball: Final Four-Practice
USATSI

April Insanity will officially replace March Madness on Saturday as the Final Four kicks into gear with the opening game set between No. 5 seed San Diego State and No. 9 seed FAU.in the national semifinals The Owls and Aztecs will tip at 6:09 p.m. ET on CBS from Houston, with the winner advancing to the title game.

The matchup pits strength-on-strength with FAU one of the most prolific, high-volume 3-point offenses in the country this season drawing an SDSU team that rates No. 2 in team 3-point defense on the season. There's also contrasting styles at play here, too with SDSU a slow-it-down-and-fight team and FAU one that can dictate the pace and push tempo when need be.

Neither FAU nor SDSU were among the top three favorites to win their respective regions entering the 2023 NCAA Tournament, but both of them advancing this far to earn their first-ever Final Four berths are what makes March Madness special. Here's what you need to know as we prep for the festivities.

Follow LIVE updates for FAU-San Diego State from Houston

Watch FAU vs. San Diego State in Final Four

Date: Saturday, April 1 | Time: 6:09 p.m. ET
Location: NRG Stadium -- Houston
TV: CBS | Live stream: March Madness Live

FAU vs. San Diego State: What to know

Two weeks ago, Florida Atlantic had zero (!!!!!) NCAA Tournament wins in school history. The Owls on Saturday will fight for their right to play in the national championship game. It's hard to call this 35-win team an underdog, though, especially with how it has fought during this postseason. After racking up three wins in three days to clinch the Conference USA Tournament, FAU has defeated Memphis, Fairleigh Dickinson, Tennessee and Kansas State in its march to the final weekend of the tournament.

SDSU, which was in the same region as No. 1 overall seed Alabama, also had its naysayers entering the NCAA Tournament and, like FAU, has proved its doubters wrong. Its run has featured wins over Charleston, Furman, the Crimson Tide and Creighton in a span of two weeks. In that span, it has held opponents to a combined 16 of 94 shooting from 3-point range.

FAU vs. San Diego State prediction

Odds via Caesars Sportsbook

I'm laying the points with the favorites in both games so that first means, like half of our staff, that I'm taking the Aztecs to win and cover the 2-point spread. SDSU matches up very well with FAU with a top-two 3-point defense pitted against an FAU team that shoots 3-pointers at a high volume and makes them at an impressive clip. No team has shot it well on SDSU from 3-point range, and I'm taking the stab here that FAU -- to its demise -- won't be the first. Pick: SDSU -2