The San Diego State Aztecs take on the San Jose State Spartans. Check out our college basketball odds series for our San Diego State San Jose State prediction and pick. Find how to watch San Diego State San Jose State.

The San Diego State Aztecs are beginning to look like a team which is ready to make another deep run in the NCAA Tournament. The Aztecs had a bumpy ride in the first several weeks of their season, losing to Grand Canyon and getting taken into overtime by the Cal Golden Bears while also coming close to losing to UC San Diego. It wasn't a disastrous start, but San Diego State did come uncomfortably close to losing a number of games it should have won comfortably. This team clearly needed a spark and was searching for a much higher level of play. The team which reached the Final Four and the national championship game last season certainly expected to be a lot better than it was.

Then came a late-December game at Gonzaga in Spokane. In a battle of two of the West's top college basketball programs (alongside Arizona), San Diego State won by 10 on the Zags' home floor. Gonzaga is extremely tough to beat at home. San Diego State's ability to not only win, but win by 10. That was much more like the level of play the Aztecs expected to bring to this season. San Diego State then handled UNLV relatively easily this past Saturday. The quality of play from SDSU is improving as we head into the teeth of the Mountain West Conference schedule.

Here are the San Diego State-San Jose State College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College Basketball Odds: San Diego State-San Jose State Odds

San Diego State Aztecs: -10.5 (-104)

San Jose State Spartans: +10.5 (-118)

Over: 138.5 (-105)

Under: 138.5 (-115)

How To Watch San Diego State vs San Jose State

Time: 11:00 pm ET / 8:00 pm PT

TV: CBS Sports Network

Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why San Diego State Could Cover the Spread

The Aztecs are a good team and, crucially, are beginning to play like it. As noted above, we didn't see a consistently strong team in the earlier weeks of the season, but now we're getting a more reliable version of San Diego State. The Aztecs are winning at both ends of the floor. They won against Gonzaga with their offense. They beat UNLV this past weekend with their defense, holding the Rebels to just 61 points. San Diego State has a lot of different ways to win games. It has a proven coach in Brian Dutcher. It has multiple options it can turn to at the offensive end of the floor. This is a team worth believing in.

In addition to all of that, San Jose State is letting games slip through its fingers. The Spartans have had trouble closing down games this season. They often play 15 to 25 good minutes per game but are rarely if ever playing more than 25 good minutes. There are always at least 15 minutes per game in which this team doesn't play well. That won't be nearly enough to cover the spread against San Diego State.

Why San Jose State Could Cover the Spread

The Spartans led Boise State on Friday night for a good portion of that game before crumbling down the stretch and losing. The key insight to make here is that with a double-digit spread, SJSU doesn't have to win. It just has to stay close. If SJSU plays 25 strong minutes, it could struggle in the other 15 and still keep the game close. San Jose State outscored Boise State by seven in the first half and got outscored by 16 in the second half, losing by nine. If that exact pattern is replicated here, San Jose State covers.

Final San Diego State-San Jose State Prediction & Pick

San Diego State is clearly better, but is it 11 points better? We're not sure. Stay away from this game.

Final San Diego State-San Jose State Prediction & Pick: San Jose State +10.5