A second-place finish in the West Coast Conference regular-season standings may be on the line when Gonzaga visits Santa Clara tonight.
The Bulldogs and the Broncos are battling with San Francisco for that important No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. In the WCC format, the top two seeds don’t have to play until the semifinals, giving them a huge advantage. Saint Mary’s is locked in as the No. 1 seed.
Gonzaga (21-8, 12-4) is tied with USF for second in the league standings while SCU is third (19-10, 11-5). The Broncos currently own the head-to-head advantage over Gonzaga after picking up a 103-99 victory on Jan. 18 behind Tyeree Bryan’s 35-point outburst.
The Bulldogs lost to Saint Mary’s, 74-67, their last time out while the Broncos picked up a 109-79 win over Washington State without their leading scorer, Adama-Alpha Bal. They hit a program-record 23 triples in the victory. Bal has missed the last three games so his status is important to monitor. It is unclear if he will be playing.
Gonzaga at Santa Clara Odds
Gonzaga is a 6.5-point college basketball odds favorite on BetMGM against Santa Clara while the Over/Under is at 162.5 points.
The Moneyline for Gonzaga is at -260 and at +220 for Santa Clara.
Gonzaga at Santa Clara On TV
The matchup between Gonzaga and Santa Clara will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
Tonight’s game tips off at 11 p.m. ET.
Gonzaga at Santa Clara Prediction
I predict Gonzaga gets the win but Santa Clara covers the 6.5-point spread. I also predict for this game to go over 162.5 points.
These are a pair of elite offenses and the top two scoring teams in the conference. The Bulldogs lead the league and are second in the country averaging 87.1 points per game. Per KenPom, their adjusted offensive efficiency of 124.7 ranks eighth in the nation.
The Broncos average 81.1 PPG and have an AOE of 117.6, which is the 38th-best mark in the country.
Despite both owning a high-powered attack, GU and SCU score in different ways. The Bulldogs like to get the ball inside and play through big man Graham Ike, and lean on stellar point guard and playmaker Ryan Nembhard to distribute in transition.
The Broncos like to space the floor as much as possible and create penetration and dribble-and-kick opportunities. Their 828 attempts from the 3-point line are the 13th most in the country and by far the most in the league. During conference play, 42.3% of their points have come from 3s.
The last time these teams met, SCU was 18-for-38 from the arc (47%) and knocked down 12 of those in the second half. I think the Zags remember that well and Mark Few will have his squad better prepared to defend the Broncos’ offense and the 3-point line this time around. The Zags do have the second-best 3-point defense in the league (30.2%).
Bal leads SCU with 13.1 points and three assists per game. Carlos Stewart Jr. and Christoph Tilly both add 12 PPG while Elijah Mahi chips in with 11.4 PPG.
The Bulldogs are led by Ike, who averages 16.8 PPG and 7.5 RPG. Khalif Battle scores 12.6 PPG while Nembhard averages 11 PPG and 9.7 APG.
This is considered to be a down year for the Zags, but they have a very experienced group and of course one of the best coaches in the country. I think they can find a way to get a win to ruin Senior Night for the Broncos and start playing their best ball when it matters most.
GU is 11-18 against the spread as a favorite and SCU is 5-8 as an underdog.
