Pacific vs San Jose State prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball

It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Pacific San Jose State prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Pacific San Jose State.

Tim Miles is a talented basketball coach. He took Colorado State to the NCAA Tournament. Then he took Nebraska to the Big Dance. Getting Nebraska to the NCAA Tournament is a massive accomplishment, given that the Huskers are the only power conference program to never win an NCAA Tournament game. Miles was able to do something few other men have ever done in the college basketball coaching profession. He can coach. He took on the San Jose State job trying to do what he does best: Take over lower-tier programs and make them better.

Miles is learning just how hard it is to win at San Jose State.

The Spartans’ season began with a disaster, a loss at home to Western Illinois in a buy game. No one was expecting SJSU to look like a top-tier Mountain West championship contender, but an outright loss to a smaller school in a cupcake game is a true face-plant to start the season. The problem was the Spartans’ offense, which could never get going in a 59-55 loss. Only two San Jose State players scored more than six points in the game, none more than 13. It was simply very difficult for San Jose State to generate consistent offense. The Spartans scored fewer than 30 points in both halves. It was a nightmare, and Western Illinois was able to take advantage on SJSU’s home floor.

This dramatically raises the level of urgency for Friday night’s game against Pacific, which won its opening game. It would be bad enough for San Jose State to fall to 0-2 on the season, but there’s a difference between being 0-2 against good teams and being 0-2 against bad teams. Western Illinois is not an especially strong team. Pacific has been one of the worst teams in the West Coast Conference in recent years. San Jose State can’t lose home games to subpar opponents if it wants to be able to make progress and develop the way Tim Miles is hoping for.

Here are the Pacific-San Jose State College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel 

College Basketball Odds: Pacific-San Jose State Odds

Pacific: +3.5 (-114)

Moneyline: +134

San Jose State: -3.5 (-106)

Moneyline: -162

Over: 145.5 (-108)

Under: 145.5 (-112)

How to Watch Pacific vs San Jose State

Time: 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT

TV: Local Cable

Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)

Why Pacific Will Cover The Spread/Win

San Jose State just isn’t very good. The Spartans scored only 55 points against a less-than-great opponent at home. They struggled to shoot, which points to an inability to create high-quality shots. If a team is generating dunks or layups, it is getting to the basket and is not settling for jump shots. San Jose State should be able to create good shot chances against an opponent such as Western Illinois. The fact that it couldn’t — at least not in the quantity needed to win — is hugely alarming and should be an indicator that Pacific is likely to cover the spread.

Why San Jose State Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Spartans have to win this game. “Must-win” can be overrated and overused, but after losing to Western Illinois, it is clear that if San Jose State wants to play in any postseason tournament, it really needs to win here and avoid a second damaging defeat on its portfolio. The Spartans will play with the level of urgency needed to cover the spread.

Final Pacific-San Jose State Prediction & Pick

You should stay far away from a game between two teams which are not expected to be good this season.

Final Pacific-San Jose State Prediction & Pick: San Jose State -3.5