College Basketball Odds, Picks for San Diego State vs Air Force
Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images. Pictured: Nathan Mensah (San Diego State)
- Air Force hosts San Diego State in late Saturday night college basketball action.
- Both teams are coming off wins, though the Aztecs underwhelmed in their last time out.
- Keg breaks down the matchup and offers up his best bet below.
San Diego State vs Air Force Odds
| San Diego State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-8.5 -120 | 131.5 -110o / -110u | -450 |
| Air Force Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+8.5 -102 | 131.5 -110o / -110u | +340 |
San Diego State looks to get another win streak going as it closes out its two-game road trip at Air Force on Saturday. In the Aztecs' first game, they were challenged by Colorado State, needing OT to get the victory against the Rams.
Air Force, meanwhile, is rolling, having won three in a row after opening up conference play with an 0-3 start.
In their first meeting of the season, the Falcons were handled easily by the Aztecs, who won at home by 17. Air Force never held a lead in the game.
Can Air Force keep it close this time around against the Aztecs? The all-time series has been a lopsided one in favor of the Aztecs, who lead 26-7. However, Air Force is 7-9 in Colorado Springs.
San Diego State Aztecs
The Aztecs were able to get back in the win column against Colorado State, but it was far from an impressive performance.
It marked the second bad game in a row for team leader Matt Bradley. And while Lamont Butler and Micah Parrish stepped up in a big way to help the Aztecs notch the win, they will lose another close game if Bradley continues to struggle.
San Diego State has been the best team in Mountain West play when it comes to offensive rebounding. The Aztecs are coming down with the ball on 33.7% of opportunities and making the most of them with 10.3 second-chance points per game.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Aztecs have been a thorn in the side of Mountain West foes due to their pressure and ability to force turnovers. The Aztecs are forcing teams to turn the ball over on 19.3% of possessions and averaging 17.3 points off of turnovers per contest.
Air Force is unlikely to challenge either of these advantages for the Aztecs. The Falcons are turning the ball over on 18% of possessions in conference play and have allowed opposing teams to come down with the offensive rebound 27.5% of the time.
Air Force Falcons
Over the last three games, the Air Force Falcons have seen their biggest improvement on the offensive end. The offense is shooting better in the paint and has cut down on its turnovers.
Both will need to continue if the Falcons want to knock off the Aztecs as 8.5-point underdogs.
One of the most important points on the defensive end for Air Force will be finding a way to limit San Diego State on the perimeter. The Aztecs lead the Mountain West in 3-point shooting, hitting 41% of their shots from beyond the arc.
And while Air Force has allowed opposing teams to hit 37% from conference play, during their three-game win streak, it's locked in and brought that down to just 25.6% on 3-pointers.
Slowing this game down as much as possible will be no problem for the Falcons, who rank 344th nationally in Adjusted Tempo.
But will they be able to slow the Aztecs down enough to keep this within the number?
San Diego State vs Air Force Betting Pick
San Diego State flew back home immediately after its win over the Rams so high altitude wouldn't impact the team.
But I'm not sure the back and forth and in and out of altitude is going to help the Aztecs — if anything, it could give them different but equal issues as far as exhaustion is concerned.
That, paired with the fact that Bradley has been struggling as of late, gives me encouraging signs when it comes to backing the Falcons.
Air Force has been hot as of late and its matchups at home against the Aztecs have been much closer than its games at Viejas Arena.
Not to mention, San Diego State has a top matchup with the Aggies on deck and could very well be looking ahead to that.
The Falcons will keep this much closer than the first meeting between these two, and I expect them to make the Aztecs fight for their win much like the Rams did.
Pick: Air Force +8 or Better |
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