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Bet Basketball – Take Utah State Saturday!

March 5, 2011

One of your last chances to Bet Basketball comes this Saturday, with a crucial WAC showdown!

As Utah State tries to solidify itself heading into the NCAA Tournament, they simply can’t afford to lose their season finale at Louisiana Tech.

No. 21 Utah State Aggies (27-3 SU, 14-13-1 ATS) at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (12-18 SU, 11-12-1 ATS)
Saturday, March 5: 7:00 p.m. ESPN Full Court

To the Aggies credit, coach Stew Morrill has done another spectacular job with this group, as they enter this one with a 14-1 league record, and another WAC regular season title. But even despite their lofty ranking, Utah State fans know the truth: If they lose here, it could cripple their chances for an at-large berth come NCAA Tournament time.

When you Bet Basketball this weekend, what this showdown will ultimately come down to is how the Aggies play defense. On the year, they are amongst the nation’s best, allowing opponents to shoot under 39 percent from the field, and score just 59 points per game, both of which rank in the Top 10 nationally.

Still, to only talk about their defense would be to take away some spectacular offensive performances they’ve had throughout the year as well. The ring leader for this club is senior Tai Wesley, widely considered to be the favorite to win the WAC Player of the Year this season. The forward is averaging 14.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, both team highs. Guard Brockeith Pane leads this team with over three assists per game, while Brady Jardine adds bulk in the paint with over seven rebounds a game.

And with that, what chance does Louisiana Tech have to keep things close when you Bet Basketball this weekend? Honestly, it depends on whether or not their anemic offense can put points on the board. On the year, the Bulldogs are one of the nation’s worst offensive teams, shooting a meager 42 percent from the field, and scoring a lousy 65 points per game. It’s also important to note that entering this one, Louisiana Tech has been among the worst wagers of late, going just 1-5-1 against the spread in their last seven games.
So in the end, who are we wagering on when we Bet Basketball this weekend? You better believe it’s the Utah State Aggies.

Look, we could give you a million statistics that would tell you why Louisiana Tech could keep things close, or Utah State might struggle, but we won’t. What you simply need to know is that Utah State plays as good a defense as anyone in the country, and Louisiana Tech is amongst one of the worst offensive teams they’ll face all year. It doesn’t hurt the Aggies that they’ll have the extra motivation of knowing they need to win this game to help their NCAA Tournament chances.

Ultimately, there are too many reasons to like Utah State not to wager on them. When you Bet Basketball this weekend, the Aggies seem like the smartest pick you can make!

Bet Basketball Pick: Utah State

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