The BYU Cougars (6-2) visit the San Diego State Aztecs (5-0) for a 5 p.m. ET tip-off at Viejas Arena. Below, we analyze the BYU-San Diego State college basketball betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
The Aztecs are No. 20 in the USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll.
BYU at San Diego State: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 1 p.m. ET.
- Money line: BYU +220 (bet $100 to win $220) | San Diego State -275 (bet $275 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: BYU +6 (-110) | San Diego State -6 (-110)
- Over/Under: 134.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
BYU at San Diego State: Three things to know
- BYU dominated Utah as a 1-point underdog in a rivalry game Dec. 12. The Cougars out-rebounded the Utes 44-25 and outshot them 55% to 36% from the field in the 82-64 victory.
- SDSU drubbed then-No. 23 Arizona State 80-68 as a 2.5-point underdog. Defense and rebounding were the keys to the Aztecs’ victory; SDSU held Arizona State to just 34.5% field-goal shooting and out-rebounded the Sun Devils 44-37.
- BYU-San Diego State is turning into a yearly thing with this game being the third consecutive annual meeting between these sides. The Aztecs won outright and covered the spread in both of the past two contests.
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BYU at San Diego State: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
BYU 68, San Diego State 63
Money line (ML)
BYU checks a lot of boxes when you dive into the teams. The Cougars have a higher net effective field-goal percentage and net rebounds per game.
Also, the Aztecs rank 32nd in opponent’s 3-point rate and 188th in opponent’s 3-point percentage. So, they aren’t good at chasing foes off the 3-point line and, because of which, opponents shoot well from deep vs. SDSU
The Cougars are 315th in opponent’s 3-point rate, i.e. not allowing threes in the first place. Opponents are shooting well from deep against BYU but SDSU is an average 3-point shooting team.
I LEAN BYU (+220) for a small play but let’s hit the spread harder.
Against the spread (ATS)
Most of the handicap is above and we are more or less just insuring that analysis with the points. The market is backing BYU because the sharps are seeing the same stuff.
According to Pregame.com, 73% of the money wagered is on BYU but just 53% of the bets are on the Cougars. What that means is the public is hitting SDSU, especially because they are ranked, but the line has moved from the 7.5-point opener to the current price. Let’s grab the points before it continues to shrink.
GIMME BYU +6 (-110) for 1 unit.
Over/Under (O/U)
SDSU is one of the slowest paced teams in the nation (ranked 254th) and this could help BYU. The Cougars are 247th in turnover rate while the Aztecs feast on turnovers and are ranked 19th in opponent’s turnover rate. If SDSU is going to slow down the pace, it’ll allow BYU to settle into its offense.
TAKE UNDER 134.5 (-105) for 1 unit because there are going to be longer possessions between teams that are familiar with each other.
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