San Jose State vs. San Diego State: Preview, How To Watch, Livestream, Prediction
The Aztecs will be looking for an authoritative win after a devastating 58-57 loss against Boise State on Tuesday.
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Reaching 20 first: will it be San Diego State with wins, or San Jose State with losses?
San Diego, CA – Brian Dutcher’s Aztecs host the San Jose State Spartans at Viejas Arena in an anticipated heavy-handed victory this Friday night.
The Spartans have the worst in-conference record… again. SJSU registered their first in-conference victory this past Sunday against the New Mexico Lobos, who maintain the third-worst record in conference. The victory may have sparked something, but San Diego State won’t likely allow another.
WHO: SJSU Spartans (8-19, 1-14 MW) vs. SDSU Aztecs (17-7, 9-4 MW)
WHEN: Friday, February 25th – 11:00 PM EST / 8:00 PM PST
WHERE: Viejas Arena, San Diego, California
TV: FS1
STREAMING: FuboTV – Get a seven-day free trial
LISTEN: RADIO: 101.5 KGB | XTRA 1360
SERIES RECORD: This will be the the 80th meeting between these two schools. SDSU leads the series 44-35. SDSU has won 8 straight and is 10-0 at Viejas Arena
LAST MATCHUP: Feb. 10, 2021- SDSU routed SJSU 77-55 at Viejas.
ODDS: San Diego State -22
OVER UNDER: 125
The Aztecs are traditionally merciless against any opponent they face after a loss. If that opponent doesn’t play defense, it could be bad. If the prior loss was “devastating,” it could get downright ugly.
Taking a look at the Spartans, Omari Moore leads the SJSU with 13 PPG, 5.3 RPG and 4.8 APG. Trey Anderson averages 9 PPG with 4.3 RPG this year. As a team, San Jose State posts 65.5 points per game on 43% shooting from the field. They are 36.3% from the three point line and 67.6% from the foul line.
They are currently giving up 72.7 points per game on 46.6% shooting from the field and 35.1% from three this season. Defense is not their specialty.
San Diego State will be looking to snap back from a devastating 58-57 loss at Boise State on Tuesday, where the score changed teams four times in the last two minutes.
Matt Bradley leads scoring for the Aztecs with 16.8 PPG along with 5.3 RPG. He has been the only double-digit scorer for San Diego State so far this season. Nathan Mensah has 7.6 PPG and a team-high 6.9 RPG to lead the Aztecs on rebounding. Trey Pulliam averages 7.8 PPG with a team-high 3.5 assists per game this season.
As a team, San Diego State averages 65.1 points per game on 43.3% shooting from the field, 35.2% from three and 69.1% from the foul line while allowing 57.1 points per game on 37.9% shooting from the field and 30.3% from three this season. It’s no secret the Aztecs define themselves through elite defense.
The only real question about this game is whether the Spartans can beat the 22-point spread. While they could reserve their energy for the other remaining games this season, they still have a rich tradition of mopping the floor with their opponents after suffering a loss- big or small. So, even with the bench playing, it’s probable the Aztecs will likely score profusely.
Prediction:
San Diego State has defeated opponents immediately following a loss by a margin 17.1 points over the past eight such contests.
More specifically, the Aztecs have played 40 consecutive games without suffering consecutive losses. The last time this happened was during Covid protocol when the Aztecs loss against Utah State on January 14th AND 16th. It was the only back-to-back loss in the last 91 games.
These statics coupled with the Spartans’ track record for this season means that the Aztecs have the ability to go overboard on margin of victory.
Final Score: San Diego State 79, San Jose State 49