One of last three unbeaten in college basketball will be putting its perfect record on the line Saturday against a quality opponent, as No. 20 Colorado State travels to face San Diego State at 4 p.m. ET on CBS. The Rams (11-0, 1-0 Mountain West) and Aztecs (9-3, 1-0) were not originally scheduled to play until Feb. 4, but COVID-19 disruptions with other teams in the Mountain West will bring them together for a marquee early-January clash.
Colorado State is shooting a prolific 42% from 3-point range, and nearly everyone in the Rams’ rotation can step out and hit from long range. Their leader is junior David Roddy, a 6-foot-5 wrecking ball leading the team in scoring, rebounding and blocks. The facilitator of the operation is fellow junior Isaiah Stevens, who ranks fifth nationally with 6.8 assists per game. Stevens leads the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio as he turns the ball over just 1.4 times per game.
Defense is San Diego State’s calling card, which makes this matchup particularly compelling. Opponents are shooting just 28.5% from 3-point range against the Aztecs this season and scoring just 58.2 points per game. No one has scored more than 63 points against them this season, including the likes of Michigan, USC and BYU. Those are SDSU’s three losses. Offense has been a struggle, however, as Cal transfer Matt Bradley has struggled from the outside after shooting 40.2% from deep in three seasons for the Bears.
How to watch Colorado State vs. San Diego State live
Date: Saturday, Jan. 8 | Time: 4 p.m. ET
Location: Viejas Arena — San Diego
TV: CBS | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports App
Colorado State vs. San Diego State prediction, picks
This hastily scheduled Mountain West meeting is an intriguing matchup, as it pits a high-quality offensive team from Colorado State against one of the nation’s best defensive units at San Diego State. The Aztecs are 6-0 this season and are the best defensive team that Colorado State has faced. Expect the Aztecs to emerge with a close victory in a low-scoring game. Prediction: San Diego State 59, Colorado State 55
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