The San Diego Toreros take on the Arizona State Sun Devils. Check out our college basketball odds series for our San Diego Arizona State prediction and pick.

The San Diego Toreros are 6-5 through 11 games this season. They have lost to Nicholls State, Utah State, California Baptist, UNLV, and New Mexico State. Their best wins are against Florida Gulf Coast and Longwood. In a competitive and rugged West Coast Conference which features Gonzaga and Saint Mary's but also involves tough teams such as San Francisco, Santa Clara, and BYU, it is hard for a program such as San Diego to establish a foothold. The Toreros are looking at this game against Arizona State as a proving ground and a chance to toughen up before they head into the heart of the WCC schedule.

Arizona State has had a special season under coach Bobby Hurley. The people who cover Arizona State basketball would readily tell you that this is not the most talented team Hurley has coached in Tempe. He had Remy Martin and other talented high-end players on his roster in previous seasons, and couldn't get the most out of them. This season, however, he has had the magic touch. Arizona State plays with the cohesion and togetherness previous teams have lacked. Previous Sun Devil squads were five individuals operating on different wavelengths. This ASU team communicates really well on defense and, crucially, does not wilt or lose focus in stressful, late-game situations. Arizona State used to be a team which folded at the first sign of adversity or when a game entered its crunch-time stages. This team gets better when the moment gets bigger.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the San Diego-Arizona State College Basketball odds.

College Basketball Odds: San Diego-Arizona State Odds

San Diego Toreros: +10.5 (-115)

Arizona State Sun Devils: -10.5 (-105)

Over: 142.5 (-115)

Under: 142.5 (-105)

Why San Diego Could Cover the Spread

The thing to note about Arizona State if you are looking for a San Diego angle on this game is that Arizona State plays its best basketball late in games. The Sun Devils trailed Creighton for a good portion of this past Monday's game before rallying to win late. Arizona State trailed a not-very-good SMU team for a considerable portion of the game before taking over in the second half. Arizona State was down 15 to Colorado on the road in Boulder before making a late rally. Arizona State is not a dominant team, even though it has lost just once this season. The Sun Devils will keep opponents in games; they simply have been great at finishing the job in the final five to 10 minutes. However, if they keep doing that, San Diego will be right there in the hunt with 10 minutes left. The Toreros won't just have a chance to cover; they'll have a chance to win outright. They might fail to win outright, but they can still cover and lose by no more than 10 points.

Why Arizona State Could Cover the Spread

The Sun Devils simply play great defense, and more precisely, they defend well late in games. Arizona State was down 65-59 to Creighton late in the second half of this past Monday's game in Las Vegas, and then limited the Bluejays to just four points over the next four minutes and 55 seconds to win, 73-71. This is what Arizona State does. This is how Arizona State wins. Keep in mind, though, that Creighton was ranked in the top 10 earlier this season. Arizona State trailing Creighton was not a shock in any way. The Sun Devils have shown — also on the road at Colorado, when they overcame a 15-point deficit — that they can step up against formidable opposition when things aren't going their way.

San Diego isn't nearly as tough as some of the teams Arizona State has played and beaten this season. Arizona State can defend the Toreros for 40 minutes and wind up with an easy 20-point win when all is said and done.

Final San Diego-Arizona State Prediction & Pick

San Diego just isn't up to the task here. The Toreros do not have the offensive weapons to hang with Arizona State for 40 minutes. ASU by 15.

Final San Diego-Arizona State Prediction & Pick: Arizona State -10.5