Multiple times each week, The Gaming Juice’s resident action seeker, Brad Evans, will attempt to blast the ‘books with his favorite selections on sides, totals, props, teasers or parlays. As always, fade or follow Brad’s picks — fading is encouraged — but that’s up to you.
Sledgehammer Special — SGP: San Diego State ML, Boise State +18.5, Game UNDER 147.5 (+115, MGM)
Surf, sunshine and San Diego State Aztecs basketball.
Listen to Dre, Tupac and the synthesized voice of Roger in 90s hip-hop classic “California Love.” The state knows how to party.
Shake it, shake it, baby.
Though the Cali-themed shindig this season has served only flat Fort Point beer (UCLA and USC are party poopers!), two teams from the Left Coast should have bracket builders’ undivided attention — Saint Mary’s and San Diego State.
The former, a projected No. 5 seed on the Bracket Big Board, is currently in Vegas seemingly on a collision course with Gonzaga for West Coast Conference auto berth rights. Meanwhile, the latter is also aiming to cement its status as a top-five seed from the Mountain West.
[ Bracket Big Board: Brad Evans’ NCAA Tournament projections ]
Inside always voluminous Viejas Arena, Brian Dutcher’s bunch has a chance to add to its argument. The visiting Broncos qualify as a Quad 1 opponent.
For the Aztecs to summon Montezuma’s revenge, they must continue to excel in an area it performs best — defense.
Since Feb. 1, San Diego State ranks No. 25 nationally in effective field-goal percentage D, yielding just 46.3% from two and 36.7% from three. Similar to previous iterations, this year’s SDSU crew prefers a pedestrian half-court pace, slowly squeezing the life out of opponents by limiting possessions, sealing off the glass and challenging shots.
Offensively, the Aztecs don’t exactly move the meter. Wide-body “center” Jaedon LeDee is an absolute load. He thrives off the bounce, bullying would-be defenders with backdowns near the basket. His midrange touch is equally outstanding, and his interior muscle flexing explains why SDSU ranks top-100 in mid-range and near-proximity effectiveness per Haslametrics.
As for the Fightin’ Potatoes, they’ve played at a respectable level away. That is, based on their 6-3 straight-up surface record. Under the microscope, however, bacteria is visible.
In those aforementioned nine road games, Boise State is No. 222 in eFG D, conceding 51.9% inside the arc and 35.1% outside of it. Yes, the Broncos are terrific at packing the paint, as their No. 1 national slotting on offensive rebounding percentage in their last 10 games suggests. Still, their welcoming defense is difficult to ignore.
San Diego State, an unblemished 12-0 at home and coming off a somewhat surprising loss in Vegas to UNLV, is the recommended chase, but by 'living in the middle.'
Shake it, shake it mama.
Shake it Cali.
Season record: 13-10, +3.68
BONUS TIME — Presbyterian +6.5 vs. Gardner-Webb (-110, MGM)