After seeing their 11-game winning streak snapped, San Diego State looks to get back in the win column when they host the
Boise State Broncos tonight. Game time is set for 10:15 PM ET at Viejas Arena.
The Aztecs opened in the NCAA basketball odds as 13 point favorites but the spread has since dropped to 12 with the total falling to 132.5.
The No. 17 Aztecs have
won eight in a row and will be facing a struggling Broncos team that's winless
on the road. San Diego State has gone 76 games without suffering consecutive
defeats and Boise State would have to pull off a monumental upset to prevent
that streak from continuing.
San Diego State (18-3 SU, 11-7 ATS) turned in perhaps their worst performance of the season in a 77-60 loss
to Colorado State on Saturday. The Aztecs shot a season-low 31.3 percent from
the field including 3 of 21 from 3-point range and lost the battle of the
boards 40-30.
The normally
reliable Chase Tapley (16.1 ppg), went 3 of 17 from the field and scored just 10
points. Jamaal Franklin, who led SDSU with 24 points and 10 rebounds, leads the
MWC in scoring in league games (17.2) and has reached double figures a
career-high nine straight games
Tough at home
The Aztecs have
outscored opponents by nearly 16 points per game at home and have given up an
average of 55.5 during their eight straight wins there. San Diego State has
gone 38 consecutive games without allowing a team to shoot 50 percent from the
field and they’ve have held conference opponents to 37.7 percent.
Broncos bucking big odds
The Broncos (10-10
SU, 8-11 ATS) have struggled in their first season in the MWC, losing six in a
row with the last five coming in league play.
The most recent
defeat came by a score of 75-64 to Wyoming at home Saturday. Boise State
allowed the Cowboys to shoot 65.8 percent. Leon Rice Joe Hanstad scored 13
points, Ryan Watkins added 12 and Tre' Nichols had 11 for the Broncos, who are
0-7 on the road. Anthony Drmic is Boise’s leading scorer and rebounder (12.6
ppg and 4.8 rpg).
The Broncos have
experienced shooting woes all season but those troubles have been magnified in
league play where they’re shooting a conference-worst 38.5 percent. However BSU
is Boise State is 10-2 this year when scoring at least 70 points.
Stat Man
Despite Saturday's
loss, San Diego State is 15-2 in its last 17 games and owns the nation's second
highest winning percentage (52-5, 91.2 percent) since the beginning of the
2010-11 season.
SDSU is pretty much
a lock to win when holding opponents to less than 60 points. The Aztecs
extended their winning streak to 42 games when they limited Wyoming to 42
points. They’re also holding teams to 37.7 percent shooting in their first five
MWC games en route to a 4-1 start.
The Aztecs have won
42 straight home games against teams not ranked in the coaches' poll. The
Broncos are 5-29 all-time against ranked opponents, including 1-15 on the road.
Coaches
Leon Rice is in his
second year at Boise State and has a record of 33-23
Steve Fisher, now
in his 13th season on Montezuma Mesa, notched his 250th career
victory at San Diego State with his team’s win at Wyoming.
Trends
Boise State is 0-7
SU on the road this season, 1-8 ATS in its last nine road games and 2-9 in its
last 11 games overall.
Harvey’s
Take: The Aztecs will roll tonight. Lay the 13 points and consider a smaller
play on the ‘under’ in your NCAA basketball picks.
Good luck!