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Utah St vs Air Force Odds and Picks (Dec. 29)

Blair Johnson

By Blair Johnson in College Basketball

Published:


Utah State forward Justin Bean driving to the hoop
Utah State forward Justin Bean (34) drives as BYU forward Seneca Knight, right, defends in the first half during an NCAA college basketball game Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
  • Utah State (9-4) visits Air Force (7-4) Wednesday, December 29th, at 3:00 pm ET in Colorado Springs
  • The Aggies are coming off an 81-62 win over Portland State last Tuesday, while the Falcons suffered a 67-45 blowout loss to Tarleton State the same day
  • See the current moneyline, point spread, and game total, plus predictions

The Utah State Aggies (9-4) — picked to finish fifth in the Mountain West preseason poll but currently rated the third-best team in the league by KenPom — take on the Air Force Falcons (7-4) Wednesday at Clune Arena. Tip off is at 3:00 pm ET.

Utah State enters the contest as favorites according to oddsmakers and KenPom predicts the Aggies will win 72-60.

Utah State vs Air Force Odds

Team Moneyline Spread at DraftKings Total
Utah State TBD -13 (-110) O 131.5 (-110)
Air Force TBD +13 (-110) U 131.5 (-110)

Odds as of December 28th, 2021.

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Ryan Odom’s team got a game-high 29 points and 12 rebounds from leading scorer Justin Bean in last week’s 19-point victory over the Vikings. Max Shulga added 18 and seven in Utah State’s final non-conference tuneup.

Meantime, Joe Scott’s club faltered against a stifling Texans’ defense that forced 18 Academy turnovers. Freshman Jake Heidbreder led the Falcons with a career-high 15 points that included a personal-best three 3-pointers.  Air Force’s leading scorer AJ Walker — who averages 16.7 points per game — was limited to just six points (going 1-of-7 from the field).

You Ogden Know

Odom has picked up where predecessor Craig Smith left off. Prior to Smith leaving to coach the Utes in Salt Lake, he got the Aggies to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 2019 and 2021. Now, anchored by Bean’s 19.9 points per game and 10.5 boards per an outing, Odom has Utah State primed for another March Madness run.

Outside of a three-point loss to UC Davis in the season opener and a two-point defeat to St. Mary’s, USU’s only two other losses were against No. 24 BYU and always-tough Iowa. The Aggies are really good offensively, rating the top-40 of four offensive categories, per KenPom: offensive adjusted efficiency (36th), offensive effective field goal percentage (8th), offensive 3-point field goal percentage (10th) and offensive 2-point field goal percentage (26th). It all starts with Bean.

The 6-foot-7 senior forward from Oklahoma has been one of the most indispensable players in college hoops this season. Fellow senior Brandon Horvath is the only other player on the roster averaging in double-digits (13.4) and is second on the team (after Bean) with 6.1 rebounds per game. This is a well-coached team with plenty of experience that should contend for a Mountain West title.

Competitive AF

The Falcons have not finished above .500 in eight straight seasons. But Scott has the Fly Boys out to a 7-4 start in Year 2, including wins over Tulsa and Texas Southern. The Academy has scuffled of late, however, losing three straight. Now, the program turns the page to Mountain West action.

Air Force ranks 36th in the nation in scoring defense (60.4 ppg) and features a trio of freshman who can do some things in Heidbreder, Ethan Taylor and Lucas Moerman. Taylor, a 6-foo-5 guard from Houston ranks fourth in the country in minutes (38.1) and 26th in steals per game (2.2). Meanwhile, Moerman — a local 6-foot-10 guard — has 20 blocks this season, needing only one more to tie freshman program record in MWC era.

The Pick

Air Force has been one of the feel-good stories in the first month-and-a-half of the college basketball season. But the Falcons are a significantly inferior team scoring the ball, rating near the bottom in all of Division I in several offensive categories. The play of the Academy’s younger players is certainly encouraging, but I’m not ready to say it will be enough to overcome a Utah State squad that have aspirations of a league title.

With Bean and Horvath leading the way for the road team, I like the Aggies in this spot.

Pick: Utah State -13 (-110)

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  • BET365 SPORTSBOOK

    BET $10 & GET $365 IN BONUS BETS WITH CODE DIME365

  • THESCORE BET SPORTSBOOK

    USE CODE DIME TO GET 100% BET RESET UP TO $1,000

  • DRAFTKINGS SPORTSBOOK

    BET $5 & GET $200 IN BONUS BETS INSTANTLY!

  • FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK

    GET $300 IN BONUS BETS EVERY DAY FOR 10 DAYS

  • CAESARS SPORTSBOOK

    USE CODE SBDDYW & DOUBLE YOUR WINNINGS ON YOUR FIRST 10 WAGERS!

  • FANATICS SPORTSBOOK

    GET 100% BET MATCH UP TO $100 FOR 10 DAYS

  • DRAFTKINGS T&Cs: GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER or 1-800-522-4700, (800) 327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org (MA). Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). Please Gamble Responsibly. 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), or visit www.mdgamblinghelp.org (MD). 21+ and present in most states. (18+ DC/KY/NH/PR/WY). Void in NH/OR/ONT/PR. Eligibility restrictions apply. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino (KS). Pass-thru of per wager tax may apply in IL. 1 per new customer. $5+ first-time bet req. Max. $200 issued as non-withdrawable Bonus Bets that expire in 7 days (168 hours). Stake removed from payout. Terms: sportsbook.draftkings.com/promos. Ends 4/6/26 at 11:59 PM ET. Sponsored by DK.

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  • BETMGM SPORTSBOOK T&Cs: Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (Available in the US), Call 877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), Call 1-800-327-5050 (MA), 1-800-NEXT-STEP (AZ), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA), 1-800-981-0023 (PR). 21+ only. Please Gamble Responsibly. See BetMGM.com for Terms. First Bet Offer for new customers only (if applicable). Subject to eligibility requirements. Bonus bets are non-withdrawable. In partnership with Kansas Crossing Casino and Hotel. This promotional offer is not available in DC, MS, NY, NV, ON, or PR.

Blair Johnson
Blair Johnson

Sports Writer

Blair Johnson is a veteran journalist and seasoned sports content creator. He has been writing and producing content as long as he can remember, with such familiar names as CNN, NFL Media and Yahoo. Blair currently lives and works in the greater Los Angeles area.

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