The San Diego State Aztecs found a groove in the Mountain West Conference tournament, pulling some upsets to win the championship and advance to March Madness. Double-digit seeds regularly pull upsets in the early rounds of the NCAA Tournament and San Diego State would love to be part of that crew this week. It will face off against the No. 6 seed Houston Cougars, who played really well late in the year.
Houston will be favored in this game as it aims to become a smaller-conference team that makes a deep run. This is an interesting matchup. The Cougars don’t have the storied history of many other programs in the tournament but have played well this year and look like a formidable squad.
This game could be a good matchup, with the higher-seeded Cougars entering as the favorites.
Don't miss the hardwood action from Intrust Bank Arena at 7:20 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 15, 2018. Catch every moment of the game live on TBS.
We'll have NCAA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NCAA Thursday schedule.
Odds Analysis
Houston is 26-7 straight up and 18-10-1 against the spread. The Cougars have done well on neutral sites this season, covering in five of six games. Houston is 13-8-1 against the spread as the favorite on the year.
San Diego State is 22-10 straight up and 20-10 against the spread. The Aztecs have done just as well on neutral courts, also going 5-1 against the spread. San Diego State has covered in three of eight attempts as the underdog this season
Player To Watch
Rob Gray — Houston’s senior guard is a huge reason why the team has reached so lofty heights on the year. He is averaging 18.6 points, 4.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game on the year. Gray is shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from the three-point line.
He had 33 points in 37 minutes two games ago to help Houston knock off top-15 foe Wichita State in the conference tournament semifinals. He didn’t shoot well in the finals against a tough Cincinnati team, and Houston fell by a point.
If Gray shoots well from the field it will be a huge boost to the Cougars’ chances to move on.
Key Stat
9. That’s the number of consecutive wins San Diego State reeled off to end the season, advancing to March Madness when the odds looked long midway through the conference season. The Aztecs beat a ranked Nevada team twice in that span, including in the conference tournament semifinals.
San Diego State advanced to the finals against New México and came away with an 82-75 victory to secure a berth in the tournament. The competition turns up now against the Cougars but San Diego State is playing at a high level.
If the Aztecs can continue to play this well it will have a chance to win this game despite being the underdog in NCAA basketball betting lines.
Free NCAA ATS Picks
San Diego State is entering on a hot streak and it is an intriguing upset pick. March Madness gets its names because of teams like this that have the capacity to knock off higher seeds. However, the Cougars have proven themselves against a good schedule and should not be discounted just because they aren’t a perennial powerhouse.
Take Houston to capture the win in this game as well as cover the spread. The Aztecs don’t have the overall body of work as a team like the Cougars and will fall short. Consider the “under” on the scoring total as a foreign gym and the lack of primetime experience could cause a cold shooting start for both sides.
NCAA Odds: Houston 73, San Diego State 67
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