UC Irvine Anteaters vs San Diego State Aztecs Prediction, 12/9/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UC Irvine Anteaters vs San Diego State Aztecs

Date: Saturday, December 9, 2023

Location: Viejas Arena in San Diego, CA

TV: ESPN+

The UC Irvine Anteaters (6-3) are on their way to Viejas Arena on Saturday where they will attempt to defeat the San Diego State Aztecs (7-2).

The UC Irvine Anteaters took the court against Utah State and took a loss by a final of 79-69 in their last contest. UC Irvine walked away from the contest with a 47.4% field goal percentage (27 out of 57) and made 5 of their 13 3-point attempts. From the free throw line, the Anteaters made 10 of their 14 attempts for a rate of 71.4%. In the matter of hauling in rebounds, they compiled 26 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 16 assists for this contest while forcing the other team into 9 turnovers and earning 5 steals. Pertaining to the defense, UC Irvine allowed 50.8% from the floor on 30 out of 59 shooting. Utah State doled out 16 dimes and had 6 steals for this contest. On top of that, Utah State totaled 27 rebounds (7 offensive, 20 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Utah State finished 73.3% from the charity stripe by burying 11 of their 15 tries. They converted 8 out of their 24 shots from distance. In the matter of personal fouls, the Anteaters left the arena with 16 while Utah State totaled 16 personal fouls.

Justin Hohn is one guy who played a role in this matchup. He walked away from this one shooting 72.7% from the floor and distributed 2 assists. He was on the hardwood for 30 minutes played and totaled 1 rebound. He ended up walking away with 21 points on 8 of 11 shooting.

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UC Irvine will enter this game with a record of 6-3 on the year. They currently have an average of 78.1 pts per game (122nd in the nation) while connecting on 49.0% from the field. The Anteaters are connecting on 37.3% on shots from downtown (57 of 153) and 70.5% from the charity stripe. As a unit, UC Irvine is collecting 37.6 rebounds per game and has tallied 154 assists so far this season, which is 29th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. They are turning it over 12.8 times per game and as a basketball team are committing 18.6 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Anteaters are forcing 12.9 turnovers per contest and they draw 17.2 fouls. They are giving up 31.4% from 3-point land and they are 87th in D-1 in points per game allowed (66.8). The Anteaters defense is giving up a FG percentage of 41.3% (215 of 520) and they relinquish 31.6 rebounds per game as a squad. They are ranked 176th in the nation in giving up assists with 107 surrendered this season.

The last time they took the hardwood, the San Diego State Aztecs took a defeat with a final score of 79-73 against Grand Canyon. Regarding team rebounding, San Diego State allowed Grand Canyon to collect 39 overall (10 on the offensive side). They finished 32.0% from beyond the perimeter via 8 out of 25 and walked away from this one shooting 23 out of 31 at the free throw line (74.2%). The Aztecs permitted Grand Canyon to convert 24 out of 50 attempts from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 48.0% for the game. When the final whistle blew, the Aztecs went 25 for 62 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 40.3%. With respect to shooting from downtown, San Diego State converted 8 out of 25 tries (32.0%). They were able to make 15 of the free throws for a rate of 62.5%. Grand Canyon was called for 21 fouls for this contest which took the Aztecs to the free throw line for a total of 24 tries. They also coughed it up 6 times, while recording 10 steals for the game. The Aztecs were able to snag 17 defensive boards and 12 offensive boards for a total of 29 in this contest.

Jaedon Ledee pitched in for the Aztecs in the matchup. He earned 24 points in his 35 mins on the court, but wasn't able to tally an assist. He buried 9 out of 16 for the game for a field goal percentage of 56.3%, and had 10 rebounds.

San Diego State has a record of 7-2 on the season. As an offensive team, the Aztecs are shooting 43.9% from the floor, which ranks them 219th in the country. San Diego State has accumulated 698 pts for the campaign (77.6 per contest) and they average 38.7 rebounds per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 15.1 times per game (94th in the country) and they are losing possession via turnover 10.8 times per contest. The Aztecs commit 17.1 personal fouls per contest while shooting 71.8% from the free throw line.

The San Diego State defense gives up 29.6% on shots from beyond the perimeter (71 of 240) and their opponents are making 72.7% of their free throw attempts. They have conceded 12.4 dimes and 36.3 rebounds every game, which ranks them 178th and 240th in Division 1. The Aztecs on the defensive end are ranked 123rd in the nation in points per game surrendered with 68.6. They have forced 12.9 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 40.0% from the floor (62nd in Division 1).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take San Diego State

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