The Portland Pilots (6-13, 0-6 WCC) will try to snap their six-game losing streak when they challenge the San Diego Toreros (13-5, 4-2 WCC) at Jenny Craig Pavilion. The game will air on ESPN Full Court at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 18, 2018.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 136 points with San Diego set as a 14-point favorite.
Portland Pilots at San Diego Toreros Betting Prediction
In the Pilots’ last game, they were defeated by the Pacific Tigers, 66-54. Pacific’s 9.0 turnover percentage was their biggest advantage over Portland, who had a mark of 14.9. The Tigers’ mark was better than their season average of 15.6. Portland’s Philipp Hartwich played well, finishing with five points and 16 rebounds.
The Toreros were victorious over the Loyola Marymount Lions in their last game, 75-71. The Toreros, who came into the game averaging an offensive rebounding percentage of 24.9, had an extraordinary mark of 37.0 and had an effective field goal percentage of 0.635 (above their season average of 0.532). Juwan Gray was San Diego’s high scorer with 17 points on 8-for-11 shooting.
A focal point for the San Diego offense is getting to the free throw line. The Toreros rank 28th in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.293), but Portland is among the best in the NCAA at keeping opponents away from the charity stripe (ranking 52nd by yielding a FTA rate of 0.191).
Portland holds records of 6-13 straight up (SU) and 6-8 against the spread (ATS). Vegas is known to set the total low when the Pilots are involved, as 64.3 percent of their games have finished over the total.
Meanwhile, San Diego is 13-5 SU and 6-7 ATS. Of the Toreros’ 13 games with betting action, 7 have finished over the O/U total.
This will be the second game of the season between these two teams. In the first, Isaiah Wright scored a game-high 30 points and the Toreros topped the Pilots 81-74 but did not cover as 7.5-point favorites. He also put up five rebounds. The game finished with a total of 155 points, which was 19.5 points above the projected point total of 135.5 points. Getting to the charity stripe was one of San Diego’s biggest strengths. They had 41 free throw attempts, while Portland had 32.
Portland Pilots vs. San Diego Toreros Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – San Diego, ATS Winner – San Diego, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
Portland is 4-4 ATS on the road with 6 overs and 2 unders.
At home, San Diego is 3-4 ATS with 4 overs and 3 unders.
San Diego ranks eighth in three pointers allowed per game (16.3) while Portland ranks 262nd (27.4).
The Toreros rank second in assists allowed per game (8.6) while the Pilots rank 214th (15.7).
San Diego ranks 106th in rebounds allowed per game (34.1) while Portland ranks 246th (38.9).
The Toreros rank ninth in blocks allowed per game (2.1) while the Pilots rank 59th (3.0).
Portland allows the 37th-fewest steals per game (5.3) while San Diego ranks 42nd (5.4).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Portland is 2-3 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under.
San Diego is 1-4 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under over their last five games.
The Pilots’ average margin of defeat in their last five games has been 18.0, up from 4.6 for the season.
During their last five games, the Toreros have scored an average of 72.6 points per game (0.7 above their season average) and allowed an average of 71.0 points per game (7.1 above their season average).
