The San Diego State Aztecs are in the middle of a poor stretch, but should take advantage of a get-well game next time out. San Diego State will face off against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles on national television.
While the Aztecs haven’t yet lived up to expectations, they are the clearly superior team and should have no trouble taking care of business against a Southern Miss squad which has lost five straight. The Golden Eagles will struggle to stay competitive in this one.
At 7 p.m. ET, tune into ESPN2 for live television coverage of this NCAA basketball game on Thursday, December 22, 2016, at the Stan Sheriff Center.
We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Thursday schedule.
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San Diego State is 5-4 straight up in 2016 but just 2-4 trying to cover games that have had a spread. The Aztecs have yet to play a neutral site this year but hope to put a better effort together in this one than they have previously shown this season.
Southern Miss is 3-6 straight up and has only covered once in four tries against the spread. The Eagles have been an underdog in each game they have played with a spread and that will be the case once again in this matchup.
Player to Watch
Tim Rowe -- The only way Southern Miss has a prayer of staying close is if it can get a big game out of its sophomore forward. Rowe is averaging 10.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks this season.
He is one of the team’s biggest offensive threats, shooting 51.2 percent from the field on the season. He is also the low-post anchor defensively and is counted to be an intimidating presence in the lane when other teams try to drive.
Rowe missed a pair of games about a week ago with an injury but is back in the lineup now. He has only averaged 5.5 points per game in two games since his return and will need to step it up against a talented San Diego State team.
Key Stat
7.2. That’s the number of steals per game San Diego State is amassing this season. The Aztecs suffered a rare defensive letdown during a recent three-game losing streak but was back to their old tricks last time out, holding Alabama State to only 41 points.
San Diego State has a lot of athletic perimeter players like Zylan Cheatham, who is averaging in double figures on the offensive end and does a nice job on defense.
Southern Miss does not have an explosive offense and could struggle to regularly get open shots in this one. For that reason, it will be tough for the Eagles to hang close.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
San Diego State has long been one of the best mid-major programs in the country and despite a bumpy start still fancies itself a March Madness participant. That will be determined in conference play, but the Aztecs would like to cruise in this one to feel good about itself heading into that action.
Southern Miss has not shown the ability to hang with some of the better teams in the country and it seems unlikely to change here. Playing on ESPN2 will be a cool experience for the Eagles, but it seems unlikely that it turns out very well.
Check the spread when it comes out because it could be pretty high. Choose the Aztecs to win this one handily as they aim to find a groove after a bumpy start to the year. The scoring total could be pretty low as San Diego State figures to lock down nicely in this one.
College Basketball Odds: San Diego State 77, Southern Miss 54
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