Not much is expected from the visiting San Diego Toreros. It hasn’t been a fun ride, as they only have one NCAA tournament appearance in the past nine years. This season, they are already in an 0-2 hole while only putting up 62 points per game, which ranks 314th overall.
The team’s marquee players, guards Olin Carter III (16 ppg) and Nassir Barrino (12.5 ppg), remain as their top point-getters. Carter III has the greener light between the two (8.5 three-point attempts per game), whether he truly deserves it or not is still in question, as he has a rotting shooting percentage of 34.4 percent (Barrino is at 62.5 percent).
Against the well-rounded Bruins defense, the Toreros are bound to get pounded all night long. It will be interesting to see if they opt to keep hitting it from deep or just penetrate more often (San Diego shoots 54 percent from two and only 34 percent from three).
As for their own defense, every Torero will be in a tough position. If they got outscored (152-124), out-rebounded (74-57), and out-assisted (24-21), while also being plus-17 on turnovers versus teams that are quite inferior to the Bruins, just imagine how dominant the Bruins could be on Thursday.
The Toreros have lost eight straight road games (4-3-1 ATS).
The Bruins are firing on all cylinders, showcasing great inside and out abilities in their first two wins. Against Pacific in the season opener, head coach Steve Alford’s starting five collectively hit 14 threes (18 as a team), which was led by his son Bryce, who had 6 treys.
Two nights later, when outside shots weren’t as effective, they made adjustments and blasted Cal State Northridge in the second half for 62 points on 59-percent shooting, highlighted by 30 points in the paint.
Five-star freshman Lonzo Ball is doing a good job mixing in to the team’s loaded guard spot, averaging 16 points and eight rebounds, and a team-leading 8.5 assists per game on an impressive 71-percent shooting. His co-guards, Bryce Alford (25 ppg) and Isaac Hamilton (19.5 ppg), are still the scoring combo that UCLA is hoping for, while also shooting a combined 57.6 percent from the field.
With those skilled guards, sixth-man Aaron Holiday’s energy off the bench, and big men TJ Leaf (also a heralded freshman) and Thomas Welch’s interior defense, the Bruins should be able to beat the visiting Toreros with ease. Leaf and Welch are powering together for 21 rebounds and five blocks an outing.
The Bruins are 2-0 at home this season (1-1 ATS), with an averaging winning margin of 22 points.
Writer’s Prediction
The Bruins (-26) win and fall short of covering the spread, 108-85.
