It will be a battle between WCC opponents when the Portland Pilots (6-9, 0-2 WCC) welcome the San Diego Toreros (11-3, 2-0 WCC) to Earle A. Chiles Center. The game is scheduled to start at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday, January 4, 2018.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game has been set at 135 points with San Diego opening as a 7.5-point favorite.
San Diego Toreros at Portland Pilots Betting Prediction
In the Toreros’ last contest, they defeated the Pepperdine Waves, 74-66. Making free throws was one of San Diego’s largest advantages. They were 17-21 (81.0 percent), while the Waves were 13-17 (76.5 percent). San Diego was led by Olin Carter III, who was the top scorer from either team with 27 points on 8-for-17 shooting.
The Pilots were blown out by the San Francisco Dons in their last contest, 84-61. San Francisco won the rebounding battle. The Dons had 16 offensive rebounds and 51 total rebounds, while the Pilots had two and 23, respectively. Portland’s Marcus Shaver Jr. put together a solid game, leading the team in scoring with 12 points on 3-for-10 shooting.
The offense of Portland (198th in the NCAA with an offensive efficiency of 105.2) will face off against the elite defense of San Diego (12th in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 89.9). The Toreros figure to have the advantage on that side of the ball. Moreover, the Toreros, who rank 55th in free throw attempt (FTA) rate (0.284), will face a difficult test against the Pilots, who rank 35th in opponents’ FTA rate (0.178).
San Diego holds records of 11-3 straight up (SU) and 5-4 against the spread (ATS). Of the Toreros’ 9 games that accepted bets, five have finished under the O/U total.
Meanwhile, Portland is 6-9 SU and 4-6 ATS. Contrary to San Diego, games involving the Pilots tend to finish over the total (60.0 percent).
After the Toreros won two out of three games against the Pilots last season, these teams will clash for the first time this year. In the last matchup, Portland won 60-55. The Pilots knocked down 16 of their 22 free throws (72.7 percent) and had a better turnover percentage (17.3 vs. 19.7).
San Diego Toreros at Portland Pilots Odds Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – San Diego, ATS Winner – San Diego, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
San Diego is 2-1 ATS on the road with 2 unders and 1 over.
At home, Portland is 1-3 ATS with 2 overs and 2 unders.
San Diego ranks 14th in three pointers allowed per game (16.9) while Portland ranks 266th (27.7).
The Toreros rank second in assists allowed per game (8.8) while the Pilots rank 212th (15.5).
San Diego ranks 145th in rebounds allowed per game (35.2) while Portland ranks 239th (39.2).
The Toreros are fourth in the NCAA with 1.9 blocks allowed per game while the Pilots are 50th with 2.8 blocks allowed per game.
San Diego is 29th in the nation with 5.1 steals allowed per game while Portland is 40th with 5.3 steals allowed per game.
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, San Diego is 2-2 ATS with 3 overs and 1 under.
Portland is 1-2 ATS with 2 overs and 1 under over their last five games.
The Toreros’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 13.6, up from 10.3 for the season.
During their last five games, the Pilots have scored an average of 68.0 points per game (5.6 below their season average) and allowed an average of 76.8 points per game (1.8 above their season average).
