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Could the Mountain West Conference be one of the best that college basketball has to offer this season? Under the spotlight of a national audience, we will quickly find out as the San Diego Aztecs take on the Boise State Broncos. Join us for our college basketball odds series where our San Diego State-Boise State prediction and pick will be revealed.
Despite being obliterated on the road against New Mexico by a score of 88-70, it was the Aztecs that were able to bounce back nicely with a monumental 71-59 victory versus a rock-solid Nevada squad. Overall, SDSU is 15-3 and currently holds a 4-1 conference mark which puts them tied for first place in the Mountain West with Utah State.
Meanwhile, the Broncos' four-game winning streak came to a screeching halt as they were bested at home by the UNLV Rebels 68-64. Luckily, the shortcoming was only the first conference loss of the season for Boise State as the Broncos still sit in a stellar position to make a run at the Mountain West title by the end of the campaign.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: San Diego State-Boise State Odds
San Diego State: -1.5 (-102)
Moneyline: -110
Boise State: +1.5 (-120)
Moneyline: -110
Over: 136.5 (-110)
Under: 136.5 (-110)
How to Watch San Diego State vs. Boise State
Time: 1:00 ET/10:00 PT
TV: CBS
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why San Diego State Will Cover The Spread/Win
While San Diego State has long been known for their suffocating defense on the hardwood, there is no question that the Aztecs will need to bring the offense to combat a talented Boise State squad on the road.
Last time out, the Aztecs might've been victorious, but their offensive numbers left much to be desired. Altogether, SDSU shot 41% from the floor and only a measly 23% from beyond the arc. To make matters worse, it was the Aztecs who did find ways to get to the free-throw line, but they ended up missing a whopping 12 attempts from the charity stripe. When a team misses that many free throws, it can easily be the difference between putting a victory in the win column or falling flat on your face. Even though the Aztecs ended up downing the Wolfpack by double-digits, San Diego State can't afford to be playing with fire on the road this Saturday.
Above all else, dominating the glass both offensively and defensively seems like a recipe for success for these Aztecs. After pummeling Nevada in the rebounding department by a 44-21 margin, SDSU needs to make it an extremely high priority to have this advantage once again. Whether it's making sure to box out or crash the boards offensively, another impressive showing on the glass could be all she wrote in the Aztecs' pursuit of covering the spread.
Why Boise State Will Cover The Spread/Win
On the other side of things, Boise State has largely looked like an NCAA Tournament-worthy team thus far, but with a little less than two months to go in the regular season, the Broncos will still need to push the envelope in all facets of the game.
For starters, getting the rock to their best players on the floor to make plays seems like a good idea. On paper, Boise State's leading scorer happens to be the experienced forward in junior Tyson Degenhart. As it stands, the Spokane, Washington native is averaging 16.0 points per game and is also corralling a shade under six rebounds per contest. Over his last couple of outings, Degenhart has dropped at least 20 points in three of his most recent four games and has the ability to get hot in the blink of an eye. Indeed, the Broncos may go only as far as Degenhart takes them, but consider the Broncos leading scorer to make big-time plays on both ends of the floor.
While rebounding the basketball is also Boise State's specialty, don't be surprised if the Broncos make a focused effort to force more turnovers defensively. Similarly to the Aztecs, the name of the Broncos game is on defense where they are known to be pests. After forcing UNLV to commit only nine turnovers in the defeat, there is no question that Boise State will need to increase this number to cover the spread and knock off the Aztecs at home.
Final San Diego State-Boise State Prediction & Pick
The college basketball season is officially getting into the thick of things! With the Mountain West up for grabs among multiple suitors, this game is a gigantic contest, to say the least. However, home court means everything in this sport, and because of that, Boise State will make the necessary plays down the stretch to come out on top.
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Final San Diego State-Boise State Prediction & Pick: Boise State +1.5 (-120)
