Mountain West foes will lock horns when the Boise State Broncos (15-7) play the Utah State Aggies (11-9) at Taco Bell Arena. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 2.
The Broncos are hoping to rebound after their 88-83 loss to New Mexico on Saturday. Despite the loss, Mikey Thompson earned his first double-double this season with 17 points and 10 assists. The Aggies, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 89-84 loss against Nevada on Saturday. Chris Smith led the team in scoring with 19 points.
Smith has upped his play over the last five games for the Aggies, averaging 18.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.0 steal, and 2.4 three-pointers.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Broncos winning the first matchup 76-61. Chandler Hutchison had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 15 points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block.
This one isn’t expected to be close when Boise State, a substantial 10-point favorite, takes on Utah State. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of 153 points. The Broncos come into this game 15-7 Straight Up (SU) and 10-9-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Not making mistakes with the ball is a staple of the Boise State offense, which averages just 11.1 turnovers per game.
In the other locker room, the Aggies have 11-9 SU and 6-11 ATS records.
In their previous meeting this season, Boise State beat Utah State, but the win was not enough to overtake Utah State in their recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 3-7 SU over the last few meetings. The Aggies also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 7-3. Boise State held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers one time, while Utah State was never able to do so in their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Boise, ATS Winner – Boise, O/U – Over
Notes
Boise State is 12-3 SU in its last 15 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boise State’s last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Boise State’s last 5 games at home.
Boise State is 2-6-1 ATS in its last 9 games at home.
Boise State is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Utah State.
Boise State is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Utah State.
Boise State averages 78.4 points per game (ranked 67th). Utah State, on the other hand, allows 71.1 points per game (ranked 164th).
Ranked 48th, the Boise State Broncos have an offensive rating of 112.8. The Utah State Aggies rank 215th with a defensive rating of just 104.7.
Boise State has an average field goal percentage of 45.3%. Utah State is 4-6 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Boise State Broncos and the Utah State Aggies both rank higher in average effective field goal percentage when compared to their field goal percentages. Boise State is 106th and 66th in the nation for FG% and eFG% respectively, while Utah State is 170th and 147th in these categories.
Boise State ranks 69th in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.24, while Utah State ranks 98th with an A/TO of 1.18.
On average, Boise State forces a turnover rate of 20.3%. When Utah State turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a solid 4-2 record.
