by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Feb 01, 2023
Time: 11 p.m. ET
Venue: McCarthey Athletic Center, Spokane, WA
Where to watch: CBS Sports Network
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Gonzaga -13.5
FanDuel: Gonzaga -13.5
BetMGM: Gonzaga -13.5
Caesars: Gonzaga -13.5
Season record
Santa Clara: 16-7 (4-4 WCC)
No. 12 Gonzaga: 18-4 (7-1 WCC)
We’re nearing the halfway mark of the college basketball season and it’s been quite the ride so far. Will Rogers is going hard in the last 30 days with a 16-10-1 run, while Kyle Hunter has also had a strong run of form as of late at 28-24-0 (+$1,700). If they’ve been killing it as much as they were in the first half, what does the second half have in store? The only way you’re going to find out is by staying locked on bigal.com and following what our champion handicappers are up to heading into the second half. Trust us, you want to know.
Santa Clara - Gonzaga preview, prediction and analysis
Recent form
Santa Clara: lost 95-89 vs. Pacific
Gonzaga: won 82-67 at Portland
For the first time since their 75-game home winning streak was snapped, the Gonzaga Bulldogs will return to the home court and try to extend their winning streak to three games when they host the Santa Clara Broncos on Thursday in Spokane.
For the first time since their 75-game home winning streak was snapped, the Gonzaga Bulldogs will return to the home court and try to extend their winning streak to three games when they host the Santa Clara Broncos on Thursday in Spokane.
Since that shocking 68-67 loss to Loyola Marymount on Jan. 19, the Bulldogs hit the road for a mental cleanse of sorts to win at Pacific and Portland, two middle-of-the-pack teams in the West Coast Conference. But if there was anyone angry about that, it was Julian Strawther.
The star guard for the Zags scored a career-high 40 points and hit eight 3-pointers to lead the way for Gonzaga. The Henderson, Nevada native, for the first time as a college athlete, had a game that showed why he might be one of the top prospects coming out of the NBA Draft this year.
“I think we still have a bad taste in our mouth from LMU. So I think we kind of learned from that game that you can’t take any one lightly," said Gonzaga guard Malachi Smith. "(Portland) is on the road, it was in the middle of the day, you know, and we had a little week off. So I think we kind of came out like we hadn’t played in a while but the intensity was there."
How Gonzaga handles that going forward is going to be key. That LMU loss put Gonzaga a game behind Saint Mary’s for the top spot in the WCC. The two rivals are set for a showdown in Moraga on Saturday, so another instance where they can’t afford to look too far ahead especially after a quick trip home following that two-game trip.
Santa Clara heads to Spokane on a two-game losing streak and is coming off a 95-89 home loss to Pacific on Saturday. The high-scoring affair had a big game from Brandin Podziemski finishing with 38 points and nine rebounds, but Santa Clara’s defense gave up 53.2 percent from the floor and 17 of 31 from 3-point range.
It was just a month ago, however, that Santa Clara came close to upsetting Gonzaga at home, losing 81-76. That game saw Strawther go for only 18 points, and Podziemski finish with just 17. Drew Timme had 20 points for Gonzaga, and Keshawn Justice with 22 for the Broncos.
Santa Clara had covered seven straight before these last two losses to Saint Mary’s and Pacific. The Broncos were overwhelming favorites, 11.5, against Pacific before the outright upset. Gonzaga, meanwhile, is just 3-4 against the spread in the last seven; they failed to cover against LMU and Pacific, but narrowly covered the 13 against Portland.
“The home streak is over,” Zags coach Mark Few said the day they lost to LMU. “It was going to end sometime and it ended in a tough, hard-fought battle. Our guys battled back and had a shot to keep it going. ... I don’t think anybody is going to touch that (streak) for quite some time.”
Prediction
If the Zags are as annoyed and pissed off about losing to LMU, I’d expect them to come out hot back at home. They need to establish some sort of confidence before facing the Gaels. This is one way to do it. Gonzaga 86, Santa Clara 70
Betting trends
Santa Clara is 19-10 ATS as an underdog the last 3 seasons.
Santa Clara is 15-7 ATS when revenging a loss the last 3 seasons.
Santa Clara is 10-2 ATS after allowing 80 points or more the last 3 seasons.
Gonzaga is 6-13 ATS as a favorite this season.
Gonzaga is 20-17 ATS against conference opponents the last 3 seasons.
Projected starting lineup
Santa Clara:
PG: Carlos Stewart Jr.
SG: Brandin Podziemski
SF: Keshawn Justice
PF: Parker Braun
C: Jaden Bediako
Gonzaga:
PG: Rasir Bolton
SG: Nolan Hickman
SF: Julian Strawther
PF: Anton Watson
C: Drew Timme
Injury report
Santa Clara: Giordan Williams (knee, out), Carlos Marshall Jr. (shoulder, out), Jake Ensminger (elbow, out)
Gonzaga: Joe Few (undisclosed, out)
Santa Clara: Giordan Williams (knee, out), Carlos Marshall Jr. (shoulder, out), Jake Ensminger (elbow, out)
Gonzaga: Joe Few (undisclosed, out)
Statistical leaders
Santa Clara:
Points: Brandin Podziemski -- 19.0
Rebounds: Brandin Podziemski -- 8.2
Assists: Brandin Podziemski -- 3.3
Gonzaga:
Points: Drew Timme -- 21.4
Rebounds: Drew Timme -- 7.5
Assists: Nolan Hickman -- 3.5
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Santa Clara Broncos - Gonzaga Bulldogs prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily college basketball projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
