UC San Diego vs. San Diego State prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball

It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a UC San Diego-San Diego State prediction and pick. Find out how to watch UC San Diego-San Diego State.

Before we say anything else, please take note — since this is sometimes a point of confusion among fans and novice bettors — that we are discussing a game involving the UC San Diego Tritons. This is not the San Diego Toreros. UC San Diego and San Diego are not the same school. It's UCSD, the Tritons, facing San Diego State in a local battle in Southern California. Don't get the schools mixed up. Tritons, not Toreros.

UCSD has a tough assignment in this first week of the college basketball season. The Tritons must face San Diego State, which made the 2023 national championship game and then followed that up with a run to the 2024 Sweet 16. Both times, San Diego State lost to eventual national champion Connecticut. Interestingly enough, San Diego State is the only school in the United States to lose to UConn in each of the last two NCAA Tournaments. UConn beat all of its other opponents only once. It is a special badge of honor for San Diego State to be able to say, "Only the champions have beaten us in March the last two seasons." No one else can say that. Now the Aztecs try to make another deep run in March. They have four months to mold themselves into a team which can make yet another journey to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, and maybe even the third.

San Diego State's formula for success is not complicated: Defend and rebound. Sacrifice. Give yourself up for the team. San Diego State is a defense-first team which gets just enough offense to prevail. The Aztecs can grind down opponents with their relentless defensive effort. As long as the role players hit just enough shots, San Diego State's defense can carry this team — and this offense — a long way. We will soon find out if the Aztecs are as good as they were last season, and if this golden age of SDSU hoops will continue into 2025.

Here are the UC San Diego-San Diego State College Basketball Odds , courtesy of FanDuel

College Basketball Odds: UC San Diego-San Diego State Odds

UC San Diego: +11.5 (-110)

Moneyline: +470

San Diego State: -11.5 (-110)

Moneyline: -700

Over: 142.5 (-108)

Under: 142.5 (-116)

How to Watch UC San Diego vs San Diego State

Time: 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT

TV: Mountain West Network

Stream: fuboTV ( Free Trial )

Why UC San Diego Will Cover The Spread/Win

San Diego State depends on defense to get the job done. SDSU does not have elite scorers. This offense can bog down and leave the Aztecs vulnerable. SDSU should win, but it might not be by double digits.

Why San Diego State Will Cover The Spread/Win

The spread is only 11.5 points. It seems that it should be larger, given the enormous gulf in stature and overall quality between the two lineups. San Diego State should probably be favored by 15.5 points and not 11.5. The Aztecs could dominate the first half and have a lead close to the spread (11.5) at halftime. Then they can regroup and be even better in the second half. They would win by 20 to 25.