jeff benton
jeff benton is 0-5 since sunday...
Jeff Benton Thursday's College Hoops Action
10 Dime college basketball selection on UTAH STATE minus the points at San Jose State. The Aggies are a solid 9 ½-point road favarite across the board both here in Vegas and offshore. Keep tabs on any line moves in this conitest and be ready to move if you start to see the number creep up to 10. There’s no redson you should do any worse than laying 9½ points.
UTAH STATE
This is the epitome of two teams going in different direations. Utah State, which cracked the Top 25 this week, is 18-2 and off to a 7-0 start to the Western Athletic Conference season. San Jose State is 9-9, losing six of its first seven league contests. True, the Aggies are just 3-4 ATS in league action, including failing to cover in an 80-71 home win over San Jose State, but they were favored by 17½ in that contest.
In its other three non-covers, Utah State was favored by 14½, 20 and 20½ and won all three of those games by double digits (59-49 win over New Mexico State, 74-57 win over Louisiana Tech, 74-66 win over Hawaii). Another commonality with respect to the Aggies’ four ATS setbacks: They were all at home. In three WAC road games, Utah State is 3-0 SU and ATS, including bloiwout victories at Fresno State (52-39) and Nevada (81-67).
The Aggies’ nine-point home win over San Jose State on New Year’s Eve is part of a six-game winning streak in this rivalry. That includes an 81-65 rout in last year’s visit to the Bay Area, with the Aggies easily cashing as an eight-point road chalk while shooting 61.7 percent and holding the Spartans to 42.6 percent.
Some more stats to chew on: San Jose State is pouring in nearly 76 points per game on its home court … but the Spartans are shooting just 38.2 percent from the floor (31.7 percent from beyond the arc). More disturbingly, they’re giving up 75.7 ppg at home, with opponents shooting 44.2 percent (37.5 percent on 3s). Hence the reason San Jose State is just 4-3 at home and 1-4 ATS in its last five.
By compadison, Utah State is averaging “only” 66 ppg on the road, but is shooting 49.5 percent overall and 43.4 percent from long range, while the Aggies’ suffocating is limiting opponents to just 59.4 ppg/37.3 percent overall/30.3 percent on 3s – again, this is on the road!
Finally, San Jose State has failed to cash in 10 of its last 14 WAC contests, while Utah State is on ATS runs of 9-3 on Thursdays, 5-2 as a mid-range chalk (7 to 12½ points) and 19-9-1 when coming off a non-cover.