Colorado State vs. #22 SDSU: Game Preview, How To Watch, Odds, Prediction
Colorado State recently disgraced itself when Rams fans taunted Ukrainian Utah State Aggie Max Shulga, chanting “Russia! Russia!”
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The Aztecs are 13-1 at Viejas Arena this season, but in their first Rams match they barely escaped with an overtime win.
WHEN: Tuesday, Feb. 21st – 8:00 p.m. PST / 11:00 p.m. EST
WHERE: Viejas Arena- San Diego, CA (Capacity 12,414)
WATCH: CBSSN
RADIO: San Diego Sports 760 / SiriusXM App ch. 968
SERIES RECORD: San Diego State and Colorado State meet for the 93rd time Wednesday evening. The Aztecs hold a 49-43 series advantage. The Aztecs have won eight of the last ten.
LAST MEETING: The Aztecs defeated the Rams 82-76 in overtime at Moby Arena in Fort Collins, Colorado, on Wednesday, January 18th.
WEBSITES: GoAztecs.com, the official San Diego State athletics website; CSURams.com, the official Colorado State athletics website.
ODDS: SDSU -11.5
OVER/UNDER: 136.5
San Diego, CA – The No. 22 SDSU Aztecs (21-5, 12-2 MW) play host to the Colorado State Rams (12-15, 4-10 MW) for the second of a two-game conference series this season.
The Aztecs barely escaped Moby Arena in Fort Collins with an overtime victory on January 18th, much to the Rams’ and their fans’ disappointment. Since then, the Aztecs have been playing impressive basketball against a stacked conference, only dropping one game to Nevada in Reno.
Most recently, they defeated Fresno State 45-43 during a stifling match at Save Mart Arena that was played with so much intensity that some spectators wondered if Bulldogs coach Justin Hutson might be in the hot seat.
The Rams, meanwhile, also defeated struggling Fresno State 60-57, also in a road match at Save Mart Arena.
Tip-off on Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena is set for 8:00 p.m. PST, and the Aztecs open as 11.5-point favorites, as they look for the conference play sweep of the Rams
Who will win? Let’s take a closer look.
Why The Rams Will Win
Colorado State is third in the Mountain West in points in the paint scoring 32.8 per game led by Patrick Cartier who averages 8.7. Cartier is averaging 13.9 points per game overall in the last 10 games for the Rams.
Isaiah Stevens is averaging 2.1 three pointers per game for the Rams, scoring 18.7 points while making 40.8% from behind the arc.
John Tonje is averaging 13.7 points per game and 4.9 boards per game as is the second leading scorer and the lead rebounder.
On the season Colorado State is averaging 73.4 points per game while giving up 71.5 points. Stevens leads three teammates averaging over 12 points per game and has scored 17 in each of the last two games after totaling 45 points in the previous two.
In their last match, Colorado State played solid defense during their 60-57 road win at Fresno State. They were 45.8% from the floor and 33.3% from the arc and held the Bulldogs to 39.7% shooting and 21.7% shooting from the arc. Stevens led with 17 points.
Why The Aztecs Will Win
The No. 22-ranked Aztecs are in sole possession of first place in the Mountain West, and they are 13-1 on their home court, for starters.
San Diego State ranks sixth in the MWC on assists with 13.8 per game led by Darrion Trammell who averages 3.6. Trammell is averaging 9.8 points per game.
Matt Bradley is scoring 13.0 points per game and averaging 3.9 rebounds for the Aztecs. Adam Seiko is averaging 2.0 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for San Diego State.
Nathan Mensah averages 6.9 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per game, and is the leading rebounder. He has totaled 19 points and 19 rebounds over the last two games.
In the last ten games the Aztecs are 8-2, averaging 70.4 points, 33.5 rebounds, 13.6 assists, 5.3 steals and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 44.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 64.0 points per game.
In their last game San Diego State put up a season low in points but still won in a 45-43 road win over Fresno State. While the Aztecs only shot 32.7% from the floor, they shot 45.5% from beyond the 3-pt arc and held the Bulldogs to 30.9% shooting and an appalling 8% (2-25) from three point land.
On the season SDSU’s defense is giving up an average of 64.9 points per game while averaging 73.5 points themselves.
Whatever adversity the Aztecs face, they keep finding ways to win.
What Will Happen
The Aztecs will be fully intent on turning their four-game home winning streak into five straight.
SDSU is highly favored in this game, although the Rams shocked them with the last minute tie at the end of regulation play in their last meeting. Colorado State has the ability to get hot, but the Aztecs have generally cooled off teams who have caught fire this season.
This match will be close but the Aztecs will prevail, sweeping the Rams for this season’s in-conference play.
Final Score: SDSU 77, Colorado State 72