The Utah State Aggies and SMU Mustangs will square off in the winner’s bracket of the 2022 Diamond Head Classic on Friday night in Hawaii. Utah State dominated Seattle in its first-round matchup, cruising to an 84-56 win. SMU was able to snap a four-game losing streak with an 85-81 win over Iona.
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET. The Aggies are favored by 12 points in the latest Utah State vs. SMU odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under is set at 145.5. Before entering any SMU vs. Utah State picks, you’ll want to see the college basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters Week 7 of the 2022-23 college basketball season on a strong 19-12 roll on all top-rated CBB picks, returning more than $200. Anybody who has followed it has seen profitable returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Utah State vs. SMU. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds for Utah State vs. SMU:
- Utah State vs. SMU spread: Utah State -12
- Utah State vs. SMU over/under: 145.5 points
- Utah State vs. SMU money line: Utah State -800, SMU +550
- Utah State vs. SMU picks: See picks here
Featured Game | Utah State Aggies vs. SMU Mustangs
Why Utah State can cover
Utah State is off to a fantastic start this season, racing out to a 10-1 record through its first 11 games. The Aggies were not slowed down by the trip to Hawaii for this event, crushing Seattle in an 84-56 blowout on Thursday. They shot better than 50% from the floor and nearly 40% from 3-point range while holding the Redhawks to a 29% shooting clip.
Junior guard Steven Ashworth leads the Aggies with 18.1 points, 4.7 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game, reaching double digits in every game since the season opener. Senior forward Taylor Funk is adding 15.1 points and 7.6 rebounds, while Dan Akin (13.4), Max Shulga (12.4) and Sean Bairstow (10.4) are each in double figures as well. Utah State has covered the spread in 10 of its last 14 games, and SMU has only covered four times in its last 18 games.
Why SMU can cover
SMU enters this game with momentum after putting together its best performance of the season on Thursday. The Mustangs were 9.5-point underdogs against Iona, but they outscored the Gaels by 10 points in the second half of an 85-81 final. Senior guard Zach Nutall led SMU with 24 points on 11 of 16 shooting, while sophomore guard Zhuric Phelps added 20 points.
Phelps has been one of the top scorers in college basketball this season, averaging 19.5 points per game. Nutall is also in double figures (14.3), while Efe Odigie is adding 8.6 points and 8.4 rebounds. The Mustangs have covered the spread in 10 of their last 12 games in the month of December.
How to make Utah State vs. SMU picks
The model has simulated SMU vs. Utah State 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Under, and it also says one side of the spread has all the value. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Utah State vs. SMU? And which side of the spread has all the value? Visit SportsLine to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up over $1,400 on its college basketball picks the last six years, and find out.
