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Two cross-town rivals meet at Viejas Arena as San Diego State hosts the University of San Diego. It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a San Diego-San Diego State prediction and pick.
USD is 3-5 on the season and is coming off a blowout loss to Arizona State, 90-53 on Tuesday. The Toreros are coached by Steve Lavin, who is a former coach at UCLA. They hired former Phoenix Suns interim head coach and former NBA player Earl Watson as an assistant coach in the offseason. With Gonzaga leaving the West Coast Conference in 2026 for the Pac-12, USD is hoping to build on a new era and become one of the better teams in the conference. It's been some time since the Toreros had a winning season.
San Diego State is the 24th-ranked team in the country. They are coming off a successful Players Era Festival Tournament during Thanksgiving break, finishing third, and recently defeated Fresno State for their first true road game of the season. At 5-2, the Aztecs have wins over Creighton and Houston and their two losses are against two of the top opponents in college basketball, Gonzaga and Oregon. SDSU had a chance to win both games.
Here are the San Diego-San Diego State College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: San Diego-San Diego State Odds
San Diego: +23.5 (-102)
Moneyline: +2800
San Diego State: -23.5 (-120)
Moneyline: -10000
Over: 143.5 (-110)
Under: 143.5 (-110)
How to Watch San Diego vs. San Diego State
Time: 10:30 ET/7:30 PT
TV: Mountain West Network
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why San Diego Will Cover The Spread/Win
Believe it or not, San Diego defeated SDSU at Viejas Arena the last time they were there during the 2018-19 season. The last time they faced was a year later and SDSU won big, 66-49. Over the history, USD is 14-23 against the Aztecs.
Kjay Bradley Jr. leads the Toreros in scoring and is the only player to average north of 10 points per game. He is averaging 16.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.4 steals per game. Kody Clouet is second on the team in scoring at 9.0 per game but shoots just 26.4% from the field. He must figure out a way to hit shots at a higher rate or else he won't help the team late in games.
Santiago Trouet is a sophomore from Argentina. At 6-foot-10, he leads the team in rebounds grabbing 8.1 per game, and shoots 51.7%. He is tied with Clouet in points at 9.0 per game and also averages 1.0 blocks. Trouet will have a tough task defending 7-footer Magoon Gwath. Gwath is turning into a star for the Aztecs and plays the four position.
At the center position, Steven Jamerson II will need to help Trouet as much as possible. They need to use their length to not allow Gwath to get easy shots off.
If USD wants any chance at covering this spread, they must play quickly and for the Aztecs into tough shots. The lower scoring the game is, the better for USD.
Why San Diego State Will Cover The Spread/Win
SDSU is one of the hottest teams in the country right now. They are 39th in the nation in points allowed at 64.3. They defend hard and have one of the top shot blockers in the country in Gwath. Gwath is averaging 3.7 blocks per game which is second in the nation behind Malcom Wilson, who is averaging 4.6. Gwath also averages 8.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and shoots 50% from the floor. He just had a 25-point/10-rebound game in the win over Fresno State.
BJ Davis leads the Aztecs in scoring at 13.7 per game. The sophomore has taken a huge leap this season and the team is benefiting from it. He adds 4.4 rebounds, 1.9 steals, and 1.6 assists as well. Both Miles Byrd and Nick Boyd average north of 10 points per game as well.
Despite Gwath's recent stellar play, Byrd is the Aztecs' top player and leader. The redshirt sophomore was a part of the 2023 National Championship appearance where they lost to UConn, and then last year played a huge role in their Sweet Sixteen run in which they also lost to UConn. He averages 12.2 points, 5.5 rebounds 2.3 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 2.2 steals per game. Byrd contributes in every area of the game and was one point shy of a double-double last time out.
Wayne McKinney III is a transfer from USD. The senior backup guard is averaging 8.3 points per game and scored 12 in the win over Fresno State. This will be an emotional game for him taking on his former team.
Final San Diego-San Diego State Prediction & Pick
When San Diego State plays at home, they elevate their game even more and teams have a hard time scoring there. SDSU will cover this spread against their cross-town rivals.
Final San Diego-San Diego State Prediction & Pick: San Diego State -23.5 (-120)
