Charleston Cougars vs San Diego State Aztecs Prediction, 3/16/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Charleston Cougars vs San Diego State Aztecs

Date: Thursday, March 16, 2023

Location: Amway Center in Orlando, FL

TV: truTV

Odds/Point Spread: Charleston (+5)

The Charleston Cougars (31-3) are headed to Amway Center on Thursday where they will try to beat the San Diego State Aztecs (27-6). San Diego State opens this matchup as 5-point favorites from oddsmakers. The total is 141.5.

The Charleston Cougars stepped onto the hardwood against UNC Wilmington and went home with a win by a final score of 63-58 in their last contest. Charleston ended the game having earned a 40.4% FG percentage (21 of 52) and converted 6 of their 26 3-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Cougars buried 15 of 20 shots for a percentage of 75.0%. In regard to grabbing rebounds, they collected 27 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 8 dimes for the matchup while forcing the opposition into 15 turnovers and earning 10 steals. When discussing defense, Charleston allowed their opponent to shoot 40.7% from the floor on 22 out of 54 shooting. UNC Wilmington earned 11 assists and had 5 steals for this contest. Moreover, UNC Wilmington snagged 28 rebounds (9 offensive, 19 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. UNC Wilmington walked away from this one shooting 78.6% at the charity stripe by burying 11 of their 14 tries. They also made 3 of 14 tries from long range. In the matter of personal fouls, the Cougars ended up with 16 and UNC Wilmington totaled 15 personal fouls.

Ryan Larson is a player who was a factor for the matchup. He racked up 23 points on 9 of 16 shooting. He played 34 mins played and snagged 3 boards. He finished the contest at 56.3% from the floor and also dished out 1 assist.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Expert Picks

Charleston comes into this game with a win-loss record of 31-3 for the campaign. They are turning it over 12.0 times per game and as a unit they commit 16.8 personal fouls per contest. As a team, Charleston is pulling in 40.5 boards per contest and has 469 assists this season, which ranks 84th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Cougars are shooting 33.4% on shots from 3-point land (343 of 1027) and 74.1% from the charity stripe. They average 80.8 pts per contest (14th in D-1) while shooting 43.8% from the field.

On defense, the Cougars are forcing 13.8 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 18.3 fouls. They are 151st in college basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 398 conceded on the season. The Cougars defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 43.1% (875 of 2,029) and they surrender 33.8 boards per contest as a unit. They relinquish 30.7% on 3-point shots and they are 98th in D-1 in points per game allowed (67.4).

For their last game, the San Diego State Aztecs walked away with a victory by a final of 62-57 when they faced Utah State. In reference to rebounds, San Diego State allowed Utah State to snag 37 in total (10 on the offensive glass). They wrapped up this game 16.7% from beyond the perimeter by going 4 of 24 and finished the contest at 7 of 14 at the free throw line (50.0%). The Aztecs allowed Utah State to bury 23 of 62 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 37.1% for the matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Aztecs finished 20 out of 63 from the floor which gave them a rate of 31.7%. When talking about 3-point attempts, San Diego State converted 2 out of 19 attempts (10.5%). They were able to bury 20 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 76.9%. Utah State had 21 fouls for the matchup which got the Aztecs to the charity stripe for a total of 26 shots. They also gave up possession of the ball 7 times, while recording 4 steals in this matchup. The Aztecs pulled down 29 defensive boards and 13 offensive boards totaling 42 in this game.

Matt Bradley ended up being a factor for the Aztecs for this game. He tallied 16 points in his 26 mins of playing time, but didn't record an assist. He buried 6 of 14 in the matchup giving him a rate of 42.9%, and had 2 rebounds.

San Diego State has a record of 27-6 on the year. The Aztecs are responsible for committing 16.1 personal fouls per contest and they go 73.2% from the charity stripe. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 13.4 times per game (158th in the country) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 11.8 times per game. San Diego State has totaled 2,378 points so far this season (72.1 per contest) and they collect 35.8 rebounds per game. As an offense, the Aztecs are shooting 44.4% from the field, which ranks 191st in D-1.

The San Diego State defense allows 29.3% on shots from beyond the arc (212 of 724) and opponents are knocking down 73.7% of their foul shots. They have surrendered 10.9 assists and 31.3 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is 44th and 34th in college hoops. The Aztecs on defense are ranked 29th in D-1 in PPG allowed with 63.6. They are able to force 13.2 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 41.6% from the field (57th in Division 1).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Charleston (+5)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here