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The San Diego State Aztecs boarded a plane earlier this week headed for the great state of Ohio where they will square up with the Cincinnati Bearcats. Some folks are worried about the Aztecs' fate in this matchup; others, not so much.
SDSU hasn't exactly played like a top-20 team in its last two games which is why some fans are a little wary of the Bearcats who have made it to the NCAA tournament in each of the last four seasons. If you have yet to hear about SDSU's offensive struggles on the road against Washington, the Aztecs shot 11-54 from the floor. In short, they couldn't hit water if they fell out of a boat.
Last Wednesday when Long Beach State came to town, the 49ers had the best shooting performance of any SDSU opponent all season, and their desperation game-winning heave as the second half came to a close was about a basketball's length too short.
Cincy started its season off hot, but has now lost two of its last three games. Most recently, the Bearcats went down on the road at Nebraska in double-overtime. Cincinnati's 295th-ranked scoring offense only mustered 55 points in 50 minutes.
SDSU and Cincinnati both feature mundane offense and above-average defense, so don't expect a lot of scoring. Everything about these two squads on paper says that they're an even match, but look a little deeper and your nerves should ease.
The Aztecs have lost twice. Once to No. 3 Arizona and once to unranked Washington who has since moved up to No. 16. Although SDSU barely escaped an upset against Long Beach, it didn't play as horrible as some like to think. LBSU got ridiculously hot in the second half, shooting 50 percent from the floor including 6-15 from deep and the Aztecs still had enough fire power to come back from eight down.
Be ultra-critical this Wednesday when you watch your Aztecs play, but from now until then, you shouldn't lose sleep over the Bearcats.
Score prediction: SDSU wins 62-49