by Chuck Sommers
Tuesday, Jan 24, 2023
Time: 11 p.m. ET
Venue: Viejas Arena, San Diego, CA
Where to watch: CBS Sports Network
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: San Diego State -6.5
FanDuel: NL
BetMGM: NL
Caesars: San Diego State -7
Season record
Utah State: 16-4 (5-2 Mountain West)
San Diego State: 15-4 (6-1 Mountain West)
We’re nearing the halfway mark of the college basketball season and it’s been quite the ride so far. Will Rogers is going hard in the last 30 days with a 16-10-1 run, while Kyle Hunter has also had a strong run of form as of late at 28-24-0 (+$1,700). If they’ve been killing it as much as they were in the first half, what does the second half have in store? The only way you’re going to find out is by staying locked on bigal.com and following what our champion handicappers are up to heading into the second half. Trust us, you want to know.
Utah State - San Diego State preview, prediction and analysis
Recent form
Utah State: won 75-74 vs. San Jose State
San Diego State: won 70-60 at Air Force
The Utah State Aggies will head to Southern California to take on the San Diego State Aztecs in a battle of two of the top teams in the Mountain West Conference.
The Utah State Aggies will head to Southern California to take on the San Diego State Aztecs in a battle of two of the top teams in the Mountain West Conference.
Utah State is coming into this game winners of three of four and narrowly escaping a 75-74 victory over the San Jose State Spartans over the weekend, a game where Utah State was favored by 11.5. It was the Aggies’ third straight loss against the spread.
Steven Ashworth led the way with 19 points and six assists, and Max Shulga chipped in with 15 points on 6 of 8 shooting to pace the Aggies’ offense.
Utah State has won seven of its last 10 and has opened Mountain West play with a 5-2 record, the only losses to the other two top teams in the league, Boise State and Nevada-Reno. The Aggies have lost three straight ATS and four of its last five after covering the previous three.
The Aztecs have also been on a roll as of late, winning eight of their last nine and coming off a 70-60 win at Air Force, sweeping the Colorado road trip that included an 82-76 win over Colorado State a week ago.
San Diego State, favored by 9, barely covered in the win over Air Force with the under also barely coming in. Matt Bradley and Keshad Johnson each had 13 points, and Darrion Trammell had 12 points for a San Diego State team that shot just 39 percent from the floor and only 27 percent from 3-point range.
What certainly helped was San Diego State going an absurd 22 of 23 from the floor and turning the ball over just eight times. Air Force shot 46 percent from the floor and turned it over just six times, but went to the free-throw line only 10 times while making four. I call that a typical SDSU game.
This, of course, has important conference implications. The Aztecs are atop the league at 6-1 with a crowded room at 2-5. UNR is keeping pace after beating New Mexico on Monday night, while Boise State and Utah State are even at 5-2. There’s a lot of basketball left to be played before anything can be taken seriously, but this conference is going to be one of the more intriguing ones going down the road.
Prediction
Utah State has won four of the last six meetings and has covered each of them. But in the two wins from San Diego State, the Aztecs were favored and won by double digits. San Diego State has struggled in Logan the last little bit, so the environment is going to play a huge factor here. Take the home team. Utah State 67, San Diego State 60
Betting trends
The favorite is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.
Home team is 15-5-1 ATS in the last 21 meetings.
San Diego State is 0-3-1 ATS in the last four home games.
Utah State is 0-4 ATS in the last four against teams with a winning percentage of .600 or better.
The favorite is 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings.
Home team is 15-5-1 ATS in the last 21 meetings.
San Diego State is 0-3-1 ATS in the last four home games.
Utah State is 0-4 ATS in the last four against teams with a winning percentage of .600 or better.
Projected starting lineup
Utah State:
PG: Steven Ashworth
SG: Max Shulga
SF: Sean Bairstow
PF: Taylor Funk
C: Trevin Dorius
San Diego State:
PG: Darrion Trammell
SG: LaMont Butler
SF: Matt Bradley
PF: Keshad Johnson
C: Nathan Mensah
Injury report
Utah State: Rylan Jones (upper body, questionable)
San Diego State: Adam Seiko (illness, questionable)
Utah State: Rylan Jones (upper body, questionable)
San Diego State: Adam Seiko (illness, questionable)
Statistical leaders
Utah State:
Points: Steven Ashworth -- 15.7
Rebounds: Daniel Akin -- 7.4
Assists: Steven Ashworth -- 4.5
San Diego State:
Points: Matt Bradley -- 13.5
Rebounds: Nathan Mensah -- 6.0
Assists: Darrion Trammell -- 3.6
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Utah State - San Diego State prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily college basketball projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
