Two of the top three teams in the Mountain West will take the court Saturday in Logan, Utah. Conference-leading San Diego State (15-5, 9-1 MWC) is on the road to face Utah State (17-3, 8-2). The winner will be in the driver’s seat for the regular-season championship.
A victory will be especially beneficial to the Aggies because they travel to The Pit on Tuesday to face New Mexico (17-4, 8-2), which currently sits in third place in the conference.
San Diego State and Utah State rank near or at the top of the Mountain West in most statistical categories. The Aggies lead the conference with 84.3 points a game, a .514 field goal percentage, a +4.48 turnover margin, and a 1.68 assist to turnover ratio. The Aztecs rank No. 3 in the league with 80.9 points a game and with a .379 field goal percentage.
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San Diego State has won nine of its past 10 games, including an 83-79 home win over New Mexico. The Aztecs’ only loss during that span was a 70-69 loss at Grand Canyon. They’re coming off a 73-50 victory over Colorado State in what was one of their best defensive performances of the season.
It was the eighth time this season that the Aztecs have held a team under 60 points. They also forced 17 turnovers, the Rams shot just 33% from the floor, and leading scorer Kyle Jorgensen was limited to five points and four rebounds in a team-high 30 minutes of playing time.
Guard Reese Dixon-Waters led San Diego State with 16 points, and 6-foot-7 sophomore Pharaoh Compton came off the bench to add 15 points and five rebounds.
Utah State has won its past two games after dropping back-to-back contests against Grand Canyon and UNLV. The Aggies knocked off Wyoming 94-62 at home on Wednesday.
Vanderbilt transfer MJ Collins finished with 12 points, while Butler transfer Kolby King came off the bench to lead the way with 20 points and seven rebounds. Six-foot-9 UT Arlington transfer Garry Clark came off the bench to add 13 points and five rebounds.
San Diego State at Utah State Odds
Utah State is a 5.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite on BetMGM as of this writing, and the Over/Under is at 144.5 points.
The Moneyline is at -235 for Utah State and +195 for San Diego State.
The Aztecs lead the all-time series 20-12, but they’re 5-7 at Utah State’s Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
San Diego State at Utah State on TV
The Mountain West game featuring San Diego State and Utah State will be televised on CBS.
Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
San Diego State at Utah State Prediction
I predict San Diego State wins 81-78.
The Aztecs will be without 7-foot center Magoon Gwath (hip) again, and they may be without 6-foot-5 freshman Elzie Harrington, who suffered what head coach Brian Dutcher called a lower-body injury against Colorado State. That’s going to leave the combination of Jeremiah Oden, Miles Heide, and Tae Simmons to contend with Clark in the paint.
Utah State should get a boost from playing at home, where the Aggies are 8-1 this season. They also have plenty of experience in the starting lineup, where Collins and Mason Falslev have combined for 113 starts in their careers, and two talented point guards to power the offense.
Signs seem to point to Utah State scoring a win and reclaiming first place in the Mountain West, but the Aztecs have too much experience in the backcourt, where Dixon-Waters, Miles Byrd, and BJ Davis lead the team on both sides of the ball. All three average more than 10 points a game, and they’ve combined for 85 steals.
If San Diego State plays on defense the way it did against Colorado State, the Aztecs could run away with a blowout.
