The Colorado State Rams (12-9) travel to San Diego State to play the Aztecs (16-6) in a matchup that pits the Mountain West’s top-ranked offense against the top-ranked defense. The game starts at 11:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 2 and will air on ES2 and ES3.
The Aztecs were victorious over UNLV 67-52 on Saturday. Skylar Spencer had seven points, nine rebounds, and three blocks for San Diego State. The Rams are coming off an 83-76 loss to Wyoming on Saturday. Antwan Scott had a team-high 19 points.
Over the last five games, Scott has been on a tear for the Rams. During that stretch, he has averaged 22.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 4.0 three-pointers.
It will be a battle of strength versus strength, as the high-octane offense of the Rams (25th in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 115.1) takes the court against the stingy defense of the Aztecs (fifth in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 91.0).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Aztecs won the first game 69-62. Trey Kell was a standout player in the game, producing 19 points, five rebounds, five assists, one steal, and one three-pointer.
San Diego State is a considerable 11-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 134 points. The Aztecs look to build on their records of 16-6 Straight Up (SU) and 8-7-3 Against The Spread (ATS). San Diego State has gotten to the free throw line often this season. They average 16 made free throws per game, which is 49th-best in Division I. Turning to the defensive side, opposing offenses have been stifled by the Aztecs, who allow a Division I-low field goal percentage of only .361.
On the other side, the Rams head into the game with records of 6-11 ATS and 12-9 SU. Don’t expect Colorado State to give away the ball much on offense, where its 11.3 turnovers per game ranks 41st in the country.
San Diego State beat Colorado State in their most recent meeting this season, bringing its SU record to 8-2 over Colorado State in their most recent games. The Aztecs also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-3-1. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, San Diego State held the edge in all three of these categories once in the last five meetings. Colorado State never did so in those games.
Predictions: SU Winner – ColoSt, ATS Winner – ColoSt, O/U – Under
Notes
San Diego State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of San Diego State’s last 6 games.
San Diego State is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
San Diego State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home.
San Diego State is 17-3 SU in its last 20 games when playing Colorado State.
San Diego State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Colorado State.
San Diego State sits at a perfect 9-0 SU record against the Mountain West Conference, while Colorado State has split its meetings against the conference (4-4).
San Diego State has allowed an average of 58.2 points per home game this season. Colorado State averages 75.4 points per away game, ranking 53rd in scoring.
With 65.1 possessions and 1.013 points per possession, the San Diego State Aztecs perform worse on both metrics than the Colorado State Rams. Colorado State averages 70.6 possessions and 1.151 points per possession.
San Diego State has an average effective field goal percentage of 46.2%. Colorado State is 10-7 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the San Diego State Aztecs attempt 16.0 three point field goals per game and the Colorado State Rams attempt 25.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, San Diego State has a tremendous 6-1 record, while Colorado State is 9-8.
The San Diego State Aztecs average 5.6 blocks per game, the 16th-ranked team in the country. The Colorado State Rams rank a lowly 302nd in blocking with just 2.3 per game.
San Diego State ranks 104th in offensive rebounds, while Colorado State ranks 87th in defensive rebounds.
On average, San Diego State makes 5.1 steals per game. Colorado State has a solid 8-5 record when it gives up at least 5 steals.
