Syracuse Orange vs San Diego State Aztecs Prediction, 3/19/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Syracuse Orange vs San Diego State Aztecs

Date: Friday, March 19, 2021

Location: Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN

TV: CBS

Odds/Point Spread: Syracuse (+2)

The Syracuse Orange (16-9) head to Hinkle Fieldhouse on Friday where they'll meet the San Diego State Aztecs (23-4) in the NCAA Tournament. The line on this contest has San Diego State as 2-point favorites. The O/U opens at 138.

Syracuse steps onto the court with a win-loss mark of 16-9 for the campaign. They are averaging 75.8 points per outing (71st in Division 1) while hitting 44.1% from the floor. The Orange are hitting 33.8% from downtown (203 of 601) and 78.4% from the free throw line. As a unit, Syracuse is snagging 35.9 rebounds per game and has tallied 382 dimes on the season, which has them ranked 57th in the nation in terms of passing. They are turning it over 11.2 times per contest and as a unit they commit 14.5 fouls every game. On the defensive end, the Orange have forced 14.6 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 15.7 fouls. They rank 341st in college hoops in allowing assists to their opponents with 435 surrendered on the season. The Orange defensively are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 41.5% (634 of 1,527) and they surrender 37.8 boards per game as a unit. They are giving up 31.7% from 3-point land and they are 195th in Division 1 in PPG allowed (70.7).

The Syracuse Orange took the court against the Virginia Cavaliers and took a loss by a final of 72-69 in their last contest. Syracuse ended with a 42.1% field goal percentage (24 out of 57) and buried 8 of their 22 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the free throw line, the Orange converted 13 of their 17 attempts for a rate of 76.5%. In regard to hauling in boards, they collected a total of 27 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 16 assists in this contest in addition to forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and having 6 steals. With regard to defense, Syracuse allowed the other team to shoot 45.5% from the floor on 25 out of 55 shooting. Virginia doled out 17 dimes and had 5 steals in this game. On top of that, Virginia pulled down 31 boards (10 offensive, 21 defensive) and got 7 blocks. Virginia finished shooting 91.7% when shooting free throws by burying 11 of their 12 attempts. They knocked down 11 of their 35 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Buddy Boeheim is one player who was a major contributor for this contest. He left the arena with 31 points on 10 out of 17 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 39 mins and also totaled 2 rebounds. Boeheim walked away from this one shooting 58.8% from the field and also dished out 3 dimes. An additional guy that was a factor in the game for the Orange was Quincy Guerrier. He pulled down 10 rebounds in his 39 minutes on the hardwood. He went 42.9% from the field in the game by going 6-of-14 (14 points). When this game wrapped up, Guerrier had 1 assist.

San Diego State has a win-loss record of 23-4 this year. The Aztecs are committing 18.6 personal fouls per game while shooting 72.3% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 13.9 times per contest (122nd in the country) and they are turning it over 11.3 times per game. San Diego State has earned 2,000 points on the year (74.1 per contest) and they grab 35.9 boards per contest. When it comes to offense, the Aztecs are hitting on 45.5% from the floor, which ranks 100th in the nation. The Aztecs on the defensive end are ranked 8th in college hoops in PPG allowed with 60.6. They allow 12.4 assists and 31.9 boards on a nightly basis, which is ranked 130th and 43rd in the country. The San Diego State defense surrenders 32.7% on 3-point shots (210 of 643) and their opposition makes 73.2% of their foul shots. They are forcing their opponents into 15.1 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 38.7% from the field (7th in college basketball).

The last time they took the court, the San Diego State Aztecs walked away with a victory by a final of 68-57 when they faced the Utah State Aggies. The Aztecs pulled down 18 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds for a total of 27 for this game. They turned the ball over 7 times, while getting 10 steals in this matchup. The Aggies committed 12 personal fouls for this contest which got the Aztecs to the charity stripe for a total of 17 shots. They were able to make 14 of them for a percentage of 82.4%. Pertaining to 3-pointers, San Diego State knocked down 2 out of 15 attempts (13.3%). When the final whistle blew, the Aztecs finished 26 for 58 from the field which had them shooting 44.8%. The Aztecs allowed the Aggies to convert 19 out of 51 tries from the field which left them shooting 37.3% for this game. They finished the game shooting 23.1% from three-point range by hitting 3 out of 13 and finished the game at 16 of 19 at the charity stripe (84.2%). With respect to how they cleaned up the glass, San Diego State allowed Utah State to get 30 in all (10 on the offensive glass).

Matt Mitchell ended up being a factor for the Aztecs for this game. He made 4 out of 11 in this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 36.4%, and had 4 rebounds. Mitchell racked up 14 points in his 36 minutes on the court and had 1 assist in this matchup. One more player that was pivotal for San Diego State was Trey Pulliam. He ended up finishing with 3 dimes in 28 mins on the court, and he put in 5 out of 9 from the floor. Pulliam wrapped this one up going 55.6% from the field and also contributing 10 points and 2 rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take San Diego State (-2)

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