It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Boise State-San Francisco prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Boise State-San Francisco.
The long Saturday of college basketball concludes with a game which might not grab banner headlines, but which will certainly be of great interest to anyone who follows the sport regularly.
Boise State is consistently making the NCAA Tournament. The Broncos have been in the March Madness bracket the past three seasons. Head coach Leon Rice has clearly improved the program and raised its floor. The problem has been how to raise its ceiling. Boise State keeps banging its head on a very low ceiling. The Broncos have still never won an NCAA Tournament game. The program is 0-10 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, 0-5 under Rice. Can Boise State take that next step as a program and notch a victory which would relieve a massive historical burden from the school? Boise State wants to be able to enter a college basketball season knowing that its coaches and players never again have to be asked what it feels like to have never won an NCAA Tournament game. The Broncos need to check that box so that they can set their sights on higher goals and bigger accomplishments in the future.
San Francisco did recently make the NCAA Tournament, but the Dons remain a school which has unfulfilled potential. The Dons, perhaps more than any other school in the West Coast Conference, have suffered from the rise — and continued dominance — of both Gonzaga and Saint Mary's. Those two schools have stood in San Francisco's way like a brick wall. The Dons just can't break through it. They run into the Zags or the Gaels at the WCC Tournament and have their path to March Madness blocked with annual consistency. San Francisco has to find a way to grow and develop as a program which can lift the Dons to the same level as Gonzaga and Saint Mary's. It's an enormous challenge, but that has to be the mindset for this team as it begins yet another college basketball season. Getting a win over a Boise State team which has reached three consecutive NCAA Tournaments could give San Francisco fresh belief that it can rise higher than it has in the recent past. USF has a proud basketball tradition. Bill Russell led this program to back-to-back NCAA Tournament national championships in 1955 and 1956. San Francisco remained a strong program through the 1970s. There is a history here. San Francisco wants to reclaim it. Every game is an opportunity to advance this restoration project and make the Dons more closely resemble what they once were in major college basketball.
Here are the Boise State-San Francisco College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Boise State-San Francisco Odds
Boise State: -1.5 (-115)
Moneyline: -130
San Francisco: +1.5 (-105)
Moneyline: +108
Over: 150.5 (-108)
Under: 150.5 (-112)
How to Watch Boise State-San Francisco
Time: 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN Plus
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why Boise State Will Cover The Spread/Win
Boise State's NCAA Tournament journeys have not produced wins, but they have produced a group of players which is battle-tested and has the hunger to strive for more. The sting of March losses will make this team really motivated in early November, and it should translate into a win over San Francisco.
Why San Francisco Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Dons have just as much hunger as Boise State. They are playing at home, and in a matchup of relative equals, that's enough to give them the edge.
Final Boise State-San Francisco Prediction & Pick
This game feels like a total coin flip, so you should pass on it.
Final Boise State-San Francisco Prediction & Pick: Boise State -1.5