The Utah State Aggies (10-7, 3-1 MWC) welcome the Colorado State Rams (8-9, 1-3 MWC) to Dee Glen Smith Spectrum as they look to extend their five-game home winning streak. The game starts at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 10, 2018.
Utah State opened as a 6.5-point favorite, while the game’s Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 143 points.
Colorado State Rams at Utah State Aggies ATS Prediction
The Rams are trying to rebound after their 82-79 loss to the Fresno State Bulldogs in their last outing. One of Fresno State’s biggest strengths was getting to the free throw line. They made 30 trips to the line, while Colorado State went 18 times. Colorado State’s Nico Carvacho played well, putting up 10 points and 19 rebounds.
The last time the Aggies played, they were victorious over the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels, 85-78. Converting at the free throw line was one of Utah State’s biggest strengths. They were 13-16 (81.3 percent), while the Runnin’ Rebels were just 10-15 (66.7 percent). With 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists, Utah State’s Sam Merrill played well.
The elite offense of Utah State will square off against the mid-tier defense of Colorado State. The Aggies rank 88th in effective field goal percentage (0.539), while the Rams are 292nd in effective field goal percentage allowed (0.533). The Aggies should have the edge on that end of the court.
Colorado State holds records of 8-9 straight up (SU) and 4-9 against the spread (ATS). Vegas has typically been fairly accurate when predicting totals of Rams games, with 7 overs compared to 6 unders.
Meanwhile, Utah State is 10-7 SU and 7-7 ATS. Vegas has been spot on when predicting totals of Aggies games, with an even split between overs and unders.
Merrill has averaged 16.8 points, 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals over the last five games for Utah State.
After the Rams won both meetings against the Aggies last season, this will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams. In the most recent contest, Colorado State won 69-52. The Rams had a better free throw rate (0.133 vs. 0.051) and had a much better turnover percentage (9.7 vs. 16.5).
Colorado State Rams vs. Utah State Aggies Betting Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Utah State, ATS Winner – Utah State, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
On the road, Colorado State is 1-6 ATS with 5 overs and 2 unders.
At home, Utah State is 3-3 ATS with 4 overs and 2 unders.
Utah State ranks 80th in three pointers attempted per game (24.0) while Colorado State ranks 215th in three pointers allowed per game (24.9).
The Aggies rank 139th in assists per game (13.6) while the Rams rank 173rd in assists allowed per game (14.7).
Colorado State ranks 30th in blocks allowed per game (2.5) while Utah State ranks 61st (3.1).
The Rams rank 90th in rebounds per game (37.5) while the Aggies rank 113th in rebounds allowed per game (34.5).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Colorado State is 2-3 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
Utah State is 3-2 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under over their last five games.
The Rams’ average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 5.0, down from 5.3 for the season.
During their last five games, the Aggies have scored an average of 80.4 points per game (5.5 above their season average) and allowed an average of 76.4 points per game (5.6 above their season average).
