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

The San Diego State Aztecs made the Final Four and college basketball's national championship game last season. Obviously, everyone on the schedule this season was going to make the Aztecs a target. Every team will turn a San Diego State game into its own Final Four this season. The Aztecs are going to take every opponent's best punch. We are seeing the results of that.

San Diego State has barely survived a lot of games and is fighting to avoid losses which would damage its overall profile. SDSU has lost only twice — to BYU and more recently to Grand Canyon — but what jumps out when looking at the Aztecs this season is how close so many of their games are. This team has not established clear-cut dominance in the first five weeks of its campaign. The Aztecs were taken into overtime by both Washington and Cal. San Diego State should have no business getting dragged into overtime by Cal, a team in full rebuilding mode under first-year head coach Mark Madsen. SDSU trailed UC San Diego by double digits before rallying to win by one point. SDSU could easily have five losses against a schedule which — though not exactly easy — has not been a cutthroat slate, either. It's not as though the Aztecs are playing Marquette and Arizona and Kentucky and Kansas. This team needs to play a lot better in order to realize its potential.

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

College Basketball Odds: UC Irvine-San Diego State Odds

UC Irvine Anteaters: +9.5 (-110)

San Diego State Aztecs: -9.5 (-110)

Over: 137.5 (-115)

Under: 137.5 (-105)

How To Watch UC Irvine vs San Diego State

Time: 10:30 pm ET / 7:30 pm PT

TV: Fox Sports 1

Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*

Why UC Irvine Could Cover the Spread

The Anteaters beat USC on the road by 10 points. They flustered USC point guard Isaiah Collier, who has been rumored by some as a possible No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft. UC Irvine is coached by Russell Turner, one of the best and most experienced mid-major coaches in the country. This team has been testing itself against good competition, going on the road to play USC, Duquesne, and Utah State. Those three teams might not be NCAA Tournament teams, but they all have talent and are likely to be factors in their respective conference races in January and February. Irvine has given itself so many good road tests that the Anteaters are not going to get rattled or overwhelmed by this game against San Diego State.

Keep in mind, as we noted above, that SDSU has not played especially well this season and has not won games by large, convincing margins. Even if SDSU wins outright, the odds are good this game will be close and competitive.

Why San Diego State Could Cover the Spread

The Aztecs finally paid a price for their inconsistent play when they lost to Grand Canyon. That should serve as a wakeup call for this team. SDSU thought it could get by with less than a great effort, but the Aztecs finally got penalized for their erratic and uneven basketball. You would think this team will come out of the locker room fired up to not only play well, but send a legitimate message to the rest of the Mountain West and the country. The Aztecs will be sharp in this game. Assuming they are, they will win very comfortably.

Final UC Irvine-San Diego State Prediction & Pick

The Aztecs have been so inconsistent that you should stay away from them and this game. Consider a live-betting play if an opportunity arises.

Final UC Irvine-San Diego State Prediction & Pick: San Diego State -9.5