The 5th-seeded San Jose State Spartans (20-12) and No. 1 San Diego State Aztecs (25-6) meet in a Friday Mountain West Conference Tournament semifinal in Las Vegas. The contest at the Thomas & Mack Center will tip off at 9:30 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the San Jose State vs. San Diego State odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
San Jose State defeated No. 4 Nevada 81-77 Thursday. The win marked the Spartans’ 4th in a row. SJSU has been in quite a few close games recently, but it lost by 21 points the last time these 2 Golden State foes locked horns (72-51 SDSU win Jan. 28).
San Diego State topped Colorado State 64-61 Thursday and is 11-2 over its last 13 games. The 20th-ranked team in the nation is looking to even its neutral-floor record; the Aztecs are just 2-3 in such games.
Rankings courtesy the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
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San Jose State vs. San Diego State odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:10 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline: San Jose State +310 (bet $100 to win $310) | San Diego State -390 (bet $390 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): San Jose State +8.5 (-110) | San Diego State -8.5 (-110)
- Over/Under (O/U): 126.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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San Jose State vs. San Diego State picks and predictions
Prediction
San Diego State 72, San Jose State 55
Moneyline
San Diego State is huge favorites here, and we’re refraining from the juice box that is its moneyline.
PASS.
Against the spread
SDSU covered a -13.5 when these 2 met Jan. 28, and the Aztecs have covered handily in back-to-back games against SJSU.
San Diego has played the tougher slate and is far superior defensively. The Aztecs are a top-15 squad in defending the 3-ball (29.7% accuracy), and they fare well against teams content to launch a lot from distance. Against the 4 MWC teams that shoot the most 3s (Air Force, SJSU, Utah State, Wyoming), SDSU went 5-2 ATS.
Fast teams can sometimes make dents in the Aztec defense, but the Spartans play at a turtle tempo.
Despite that SJSU slow-down effect, expect a big win for the Aztecs in this one. BACK SAN DIEGO STATE -8.5 (-110).
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Over/Under
A lot of defense and not much pace. And it’s well reflected in this number: PASS.
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