2015 NCAA Tournament: St. Johns Red Storm vs. San Diego State Aztecs 5 Bold Predictions

Mar 19, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; St. John’s Red Storm head coach Steve Lavin during practice before the second round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

March madness is officially upon us, as the play-in games began Tuesday night, and the Big Dance will get underway Thursday afternoon. One of the more intriguing matchups will come in the ever tough to pick 8-9 matchups, as the St. John’s Red Storm will be taking on the San Diego State Aztecs.

The playing styles of the Red Storm and Aztecs couldn’t be more polar, as St. John’s has a helter-skelter approach to playing, constantly pressing and getting in the open court to score easy baskets with their supremely athletic group of players. The Aztecs on the other hand take their time, the type of possession game that is a drag’em out, rough and tough style of play, evidence by their 61.8 points per game.

The contrasting playing styles is what makes the NCAA Tournament so intriguing, as teams that would not normally play against each other matchup and see who can instill their will upon the other.

St. John’s will be making their first appearance in the tournament since 2011, while San Diego State will be making their sixth straight appearance. Both teams will be looking to prove themselves in the first game as each is coming off disappointing performances in their conference tournaments; St. John’s got bounced easily by Providence in a blowout in their first game of the Big East Tournament, while San Diego State fell to the Wyoming Cowboys in the Mountain West Conference Tournament final.

Both teams are capable of pulling of a big upset in the third round on opening weekend against a No.1 seed. But to get there one team needs to win. Here are five bold predictions for the South Region 8-9 matchup.