No. 24 San Diego State vs. No. 23 Arizona State | 2020 NCAA Basketball Expert Analysis

The lone ranked matchup in college basketball Thursday night features newly ranked No. 24 San Diego State of the Mountain West looking for an upset at Pac-12 favorite and No. 23 Arizona State with a national TV audience.

How to Bet San Diego State at Arizona State NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

• When: Thursday, 10 PM ET
• Where: Desert Financial Arena
• TV: Fox Sports 1
• Stream: Fox Sports Go
• Radio:com
• Opening NCAAB Lines: TBA (ASU will be favored)

Last Meeting

On Nov. 14, 2017, San Diego State lost 90-68 at Arizona State. The Sun Devils built an early 10-point lead, watched it turn into a halftime deficit, then raced away from the Aztecs with a 22-2 run in the second half. Needless to say, no one from that game is around these days.

Overall, the Sun Devils hold an 18-10 advantage in the all-time series, which can be broken into two-time frames. In the first 10 meetings, from 1937-to-1958, the Aztecs went 7-3, regardless of location.  However, in the last 18 games, from 1958-to-2017, SDSU is 3-15. In games played on ASU’s home floor, San Diego State is 2-12 overall and have been winless its last six games. SDSU’s last victory in Tempe was a 77-74 triumph on Jan. 7, 1978.

Why Bet on San Diego State?

The Aztecs already beat on Pac-12 ranked team this season, knocking off No. 22 UCLA on Nov. 25. The Sun Devils were last in action on Sunday and beat Pepperdine 65-60.  SDSU used a 24-4 run midway through the second half to erase a 16-point deficit. Jordan Schakel led the offense for the Aztecs (4-0) with 17 points, Matt Mitchell finished with 13 and Joshua Tomaic totaled 10 points. Down 47-31 with 16:16 left in the game, Tomaic, Schakel and Mitchell combined to score 21 of the team’s 24 points in a 12:37 span to erase the Waves’ lead and forge a four-point advantage, which they would not relinquish en route to the win.

The 16-point deficit matched the sixth largest comeback in the last 25 seasons. The last time the Aztecs overcame a 16-point deficit to win was against Iowa, 83-73, in Las Vegas last season (Nov. 30, 2019).

The Aztecs have won their first four games of the season for the second straight season but for just the third time in the last 10 seasons (2014-15, 2019-20 and 2020-21). The Aztecs extended the following win streaks: 16-game win streak in non-conference regular season win streak, 11-game win streak in nonconference home games, 10-game win streak against teams from the state of California, a seven-game win streak in games played in December and a five-game win streak in games played on a Sunday.

San Diego State is 34-2 since the beginning of the 2019-20 campaign (tied with Gonzaga for the best record in the nation).

The Aztecs jumped in the to AP Top 25 at No. 24 this week and they are the only Mountain West team in the Top 25. This appearance, after the second week of competition, is the earliest week San Diego State has appeared in the poll in a year in which it was not ranked in the preseason. San Diego State appears in the poll for the 82nd time since the start of the 2010-11 season, easily outdistancing all other California schools in weeks being ranked in that time frame.

Why Bet on Arizona State?

ASU (3-1) has played one ranked team so far, losing 83-74 to then-No. 3 Villanova on No. 26. The Sun Devils come off a 70-62 win at Cal last Thursday in the Pac-12 opener for both.

Arizona State’s first true road game of the season proved to be a test, but it showed poise down the stretch to pull away late. The game teetered back and forth for much of the first half, with the first 20 minutes featuring 14 lead changes, six ties, and just a slim 35-34 lead at the break. Holding off several California comeback attempts, the Sun Devils never wavered, holding on to a lead for the entirety of the second half.

Cal did not score on their final five possessions. The Bears were within 63-60 after a basket by Grant Anticevich with 3:25 left. But on their final seven possessions of the game they managed just two free throws, shooting 0-for-2 with four of their 20 turnovers. Cal did not score in the final 2 minutes, 10 seconds.

Remy Martin scored a team-high 22 points for ASU on efficient 8-of-11 shooting. Reigning Pac-12 Freshman of the Week Josh Christopher reached double-figures for the fourth straight game to start his career, combining with Martin to score 36 of the Sun Devils’ 70 points while connecting on 60.8 percent of their shots (14-for-23). Holland Woods came off the bench to score nine on 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.

Martin passed two-time Pac-10 All-Conference selection and first round NBA Draft pick Mario Bennett to move into 14th place on the program’s all-time career scoring list. Martin now has 1,383 points. It was the Sun Devils’ first road win in a Pac-12 opener since 2016, when they beat Stanford 98-93.

The Sun Devils were ranked No. 18 in the Associated Press preseason poll, marking just the second time in the past 29 seasons and fifth overall for the program to be ranked before the season tips. It was preseason No. 15 in 2008-09, James Harden’s sophomore and final season.

Expert College Basketball Prediction

Arizona State 70, San Diego State 67

 

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