As is typically the case, it is a light Friday slate in college basketball. Among the handful of college basketball betting matchups scheduled today is a Mountain West clash between the San Jose State Spartans and San Diego State Aztecs. While the gap between these two in-state foes in the standings and power rankings may be large, betting allows us to throw all of that out the window. As they say, the point spread is “the great equalizer”. The following article takes a look at the top college basketball betting picks and betting trends, then shares a San Jose State vs San Diego State prediction for tonight’s matchup.
San Jose State vs San Diego State College Basketball Betting Preview
Men’s College Basketball Regular Season Game
San Jose State Spartans (8-19, 1-14 MWC) vs. San Diego State Aztecs (17-7, 9-4 MWC)
Date: Friday, February 23, 2022
Time: 11 p.m. EST
Venue: Viejas Arena — San Diego, CA
Coverage: FS1
San Jose State Spartans Preview
The armpit of the Mountain West this season, San Jose State basketball comes into tonight’s college basketball betting showdown with just one conference win. However, that victory did come in the Spartans’ last time out. SJSU took down New Mexico by a surprising 16-point margin last Sunday. The win was the eighth on the season overall for San Jose State, seven of which have come at home. The Spartans don’t exactly do anything well either. SJSU’s overall KenPom ranking of No. 287 features is comprised of the 229th offensive efficiency and an abysmal 310th defneisve efficiency.
Junior guard Omari Moore is the only SJSU player averaging in double figures scoring this season. Furthermore, Moore actually leads the Spartans across every major statistical category. Talk about a one-man show! Somehow, San Jose State lost to the Aztecs by 10 on their home floor despite Moore only scoring 11 points. The Spartans can thank freshman Myron Amey Jr. for that. He dropped 23 points in a breakout performance. It should also be noted that it wasn’t by way of garbage time. SJSU only trailed by six at the half of that February 9th contest.
San Diego State Aztecs Preview
Superb defensive play has spearheaded the Aztecs to a 9-4 mark in conference and a 17-7 record on the overall season. That being said, SDSU did drop their most recent college basketball betting contest earlier this week. For the second time this season, the Aztecs were edged out by first-place Boise State in a low-scoring rock fight. Considering the massive discrepancy in both win-loss records and power ratings between these two teams, oddsmakers fittingly opened San Diego State as a massive 22-point favorite for tonight’s game.
Like SJSU, the Aztecs only have one player who averages in double figures scoring for the season. Senior guard Matt Bradley is that man, averaging 16.8 points per contest. Unlike the Spartans, however, SDSU has other players leading across all other statistical categories. In addition to being ranked No. 23 overall by KenPom, the Aztecs boast the second-best adjusted defensive efficiency grade in the country. That ranking doesn’t come by accident, and big man Nathan Mensah is a huge part of it. He leads San Diego State basketball in rebounding (6.9) and blocks (2.2). Meanwhile, Lamont Butler has recorded an impressive 1.8 steals per game.
San Jose State vs San Diego State College Basketball Betting Odds and Picks
All San Jose State vs San Diego State college basketball betting odds can be found at BetUS Sportsbook.
Moneyline: SJSU: N/A | SDSU: N/A
Point Spread: SJSU: +21 (-110) | SDSU: -21 (-110)
Total: 126.5 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)
San Jose State vs San Diego State College Basketball Betting Trends
- Spartans are 5-0 ATS in their last five road games against teams with a home winning percentage of .600 or better.
- The OVER is 4-0 in the Spartans’ last four road games as college basketball betting underdogs.
- Aztecs are just 2-6 ATS in their last eight games against teams with a losing record.
- The UNDER is 6-1-1 in the Aztecs’ last eight games against teams with a losing record.
- Home teams are 8-2 ATS in the last 10 San Jose State vs San Diego State head-to-head meetings.
San Jose State vs San Diego State Prediction | College Basketball Betting Picks
On the season to date, 16 of San Diego State’s 24 games played have stayed under the betting total. that being said, the first matchup against San Jose State was not one of them. Considering that the Aztecs rank No. 2 in KenPom’s defensive efficiency rankings, the fact that SJSU was able to score 60+ was a bit surprising. When one breaks that first matchup down and considers that a freshman who averages less than 17 minutes per game accounted for over 33% of the Spartans’ points, it becomes even more improbable. Needless to say, San Jose State will be hard-pressed to duplicate that output this evening.
Then again, five of San Diego State’s last six home games have eclipsed the current NCAAB betting total of 126.5. All six of those games ended up as Aztec victories and four of the five that cleared the over/under were decided by double-digits. While KenPom only ranks SDSU 167th in offensive efficiency, there is quite clearly a spike in production on that end of the floor when the Aztecs play in the friendly confines of Viejas Arena. The Spartans’ sub-300 defense had no answers for Matt Bradley in the first clash as he exploded for 28 points. Playing at home, bettors should anticipate more Aztecs getting in on the fun offensively tonight.
San Jose State vs San Diego State Prediction: Over 126.5 (-110 at BetUS Sportsbook)
