California Golden Bears vs San Diego State Aztecs Prediction, 12/21/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: California Golden Bears vs San Diego State Aztecs

Date: Saturday, December 21, 2024

Location: SAP Center at San Jose in San Jose, CA

TV: ESPN+

SAP Center at San Jose is the location where the San Diego State Aztecs (7-2) will attempt to beat the California Golden Bears (7-4) on Saturday.

The California Golden Bears took the court against Northwestern State and earned the victory with a final of 84-66 in their last contest. California ended the game with a 52.8% FG percentage (28 out of 53) and made 12 of their 25 3-point attempts. From the charity stripe, the Golden Bears converted 16 of 21 shots for a percentage of 76.2%. When it comes to grabbing boards, they compiled 29 with 8 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 11 assists in the matchup in addition to creating 11 turnovers and having 2 steals. Regarding defending, California allowed the other team to shoot 43.1% from the field on 25 out of 58 shooting. Northwestern State recorded 13 assists and had 6 steals for this game. Furthermore, Northwestern State snagged 30 rebounds (12 offensive, 18 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Northwestern State finished 50.0% at the charity stripe by making 8 of 16 attempts. They converted 8 of 20 tries from long range. In the matter of fouls, the Golden Bears ended up finishing with 18 while Northwestern State totaled 19 fouls.

Andrej Stojakovic is a player who was a major factor in the game. He shot 71.4% from the floor and recorded 4 assists. He was on the court for 35 mins and collected 7 boards. He accounted for 31 points on 10 of 14 shooting.

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California will play this game with a mark of 7-4 for the season. They are averaging 81.5 pts per game (63rd in college hoops) while hitting 47.5% from the floor. The Golden Bears are shooting 38.1% on three-point attempts (94 of 247) and 73.9% from the free throw line. As a unit, California is pulling down 37.7 boards per game and has accounted for 123 dimes this year, which is 331st in college in terms of passing the ball. They cough up possession 13.5 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 17.5 fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Golden Bears have forced 11.8 turnovers per game while drawing 20.0 personal fouls. They give up 36.9% on 3-point attempts and they rank 294th in college hoops in points per game allowed (76.3). The Golden Bears defensively are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 47.2% (303 of 642) and they concede 30.5 boards per game as a team. They are 147th in D-1 in giving up assists to their opponents with 139 relinquished for the year.

When they last stepped on the court, the San Diego State Aztecs got the victory with a final of 81-75 against California Baptist. In reference to how they cleaned up the glass, San Diego State allowed California Baptist to grab 28 overall (14 on the offensive side). They shot 36.4% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 12 out of 33 and walked away from this one shooting 5 of 5 from the charity stripe (100.0%). The Aztecs permitted California Baptist to make 29 of 64 attempts from the field which had them sitting at 45.3% for this contest. When all was said and done, the Aztecs finished 28 out of 51 from the floor which had them sitting at 54.9%. In relation to shots from distance, San Diego State made 9 out of 17 tries (52.9%). They were able to bury 16 of them for a clip of 80.0%. California Baptist committed 16 personal fouls in the game which took the Aztecs to the charity stripe for 20 shots. They gave up possession of the ball 7 times, while getting 6 steals for this contest. The Aztecs collected 16 defensive boards and 6 offensive rebounds totaling 22 for the game.

Miles Byrd was important for the Aztecs in the matchup. He earned 19 points in his 31 mins of playing time and tallied 2 assists for this game. He converted 5 out of 9 in the matchup for a field goal rate of 55.6%, and added 1 rebound.

San Diego State has a win-loss record of 7-2 for the season. The Aztecs are committing 16.9 personal fouls per contest and they hit 67.9% from the charity stripe. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 14.6 times per game (158th in D-1) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 9.9 times per contest. San Diego State has 681 points so far this year (75.7 per game) and they pull in 37.1 boards per game. As an offense, the Aztecs are connecting on 46.4% from the floor, which has them ranked 132nd in the country.

The San Diego State defense concedes 29.8% on shots from beyond the arc (71 of 238) and opponents are converting on 71.9% of their shots from the free throw line. They surrender 11.4 assists and 37.3 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is 79th and 308th in D-1. The Aztecs defensively are ranked 38th in college hoops in points given up per game with 64.7. They are able to force 12.6 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 35.8% from the floor (5th in Division 1).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take San Diego State

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