The Santa Clara Broncos will go to Spokane to face the Gonzaga Bulldogs in West Coast Conference action in college basketball on Thursday night. Gonzaga comes into this game with a 16-1 record and an unbeaten start in WCC play. They will look to avoid an upset at home against a quality opponent in the Broncos. Before tip-off from The Kennel, you will find my Santa Clara vs Gonzaga prediction here.
Our Santa Clara vs Gonzaga Pick
Pick: | Santa Clara +15.5 |
Confidence: | 3/5 |
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Santa Clara Broncos @ Gonzaga Bulldogs
- Date & Time: Thursday, January 8, 2025, 8:30 PM ET
- Venue: McCarthey Athletic Center, Spokane, Washington
- Broadcast: ESPN2
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Key Storylines
- Gonzaga enters this contest on a nine-game winning streak, including each of their first four games in WCC competition. The Zags barely escaped in overtime against Seattle U two games ago, but responded to that scare by beating Loyola Marymount by 35 points. Mark Few's team held the Lions under 50 points in that contest and they will try to put together a repeat performance on defense here.
- Santa Clara has opened conference play undefeated, with four straight wins over WCC opponents. Three of those four wins have come by double-digits. And while the Broncos are not expected to win this game, they are more than capable of doing so if they play to their full potential and get a break or two along the way.
- The Bulldogs are loaded with scoring options, led by Graham Ike and Braden Huff in the frontcourt. Both are averaging double figures and shooting over 50% from the field on the season and they will try to dominate the painted area against the Broncos in this battle of unbeatens in the WCC.
- Santa Clara shocked Gonzaga in Spokane last season, snapping a long road drought in this series and giving the Broncos confidence they can compete with Gonzaga here. This game will play a major role in shaping the early WCC race, which is especially important given the unique conference tournament format that rewards finishing in the top two.
Head-to-Head & Betting Trends
- Gonzaga is 30-6 all-time against Santa Clara.
- Santa Clara is 2-2 in the last four games they have played against the Zags.
- The Bulldogs are 10-7 against the spread so far this season.
- The Broncos are 7-8-1 against the spread this year.
- The under has hit in 10 of Gonzaga's 17 games.
- Santa Clara is 10-6 to the over heading into this game.
Santa Clara vs Gonzaga Model Projection
Score Projection: Santa Clara 78 – Gonzaga 91
Win Probability: Santa Clara 12%, Gonzaga 88%
Final Thoughts
Gonzaga should win this game to get to 10 straight wins and a 5-0 start in the WCC. But I am taking the huge number with Santa Clara in this contest. The Broncos are better than most WCC teams, ranking in the KenPom top 100 in both offensive and defensive ratings. They won't win this game, but Santa Clara should keep things respectable enough to cover.
Jay Sanin
Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.
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