Riding high after an upset of No. 16 Gonzaga, Santa Clara hosts another West Coast Conference title contender tonight when Washington State invades the Leavey Center.
Santa Clara (13-7, 5-2 WCC) knocked off Gonzaga, 103-99, on Saturday. It was the Broncos’ first win in Spokane, Washington, since 2007 and their first true road win over a team ranked in the AP Top 25 since 1993.
It was the most points Santa Clara has scored in a game since putting up 104 against San Diego in the WCC Tournament last season and the most the Broncos have ever scored against Gonzaga.
The win left Santa Clara in a three-way tie with Gonzaga (14-6, 5-2) and Washington State (15-5, 5-2) for third place in the WCC. They’re trailing St. Mary’s (16-3, 6-0) and San Francisco (16-5, 6-2).
Santa Clara’s Tyeree Bryan earned co-WCC Player of the Week honors for his 35-point, 7-rebound performance against Gonzaga. He shared the honors with Oregon State’s Michael Rataj, who also led his team to a win over the Zags last week.
Bryan is averaging 11.1 points a game this season. Adama-Alpha Bal leads Santa Clara with 14 points a game, and the Broncos average 80.7 points a night, which ranks No. 3 in the WCC.
Washington State has its own potent offense, which ranks No. 2 in the conference with 81.6 points a game and is led by Nate Calmese, who is putting up 17.3 points a night.
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Washington State at Santa Clara Betting Odds
Santa Clara is a 4.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite against Washington State on BetMGM, and the Over/Under is 158.5 points. The Moneyline is at -220 for Santa Clara and +180 for Washington State.
Washington State is 10-10 against the spread in its past 20 regular-season games as an underdog on the road.
Washington State at Santa Clara on TV
The West Coast Conference game featuring Washington State and Santa Clara will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
Tonight’s tip-off is scheduled for 11 p.m. ET.
Washington State at Santa Clara Prediction
I predict Santa Clara wins, 74-67.
Washington State has what it takes to go into the Leavey Center and score a win that would put it right back in the mix for the WCC regular-season championship.
The Cougars lead the conference with a .494 team shooting percentage, rank No. 2 in the WCC with a .360 3-point percentage, and No. 4 with 36.7 rebounds a game. Calmese ranks No. 4 among the conference’s top scorers, and all five of Washington State’s regular starters are averaging more than 12 points a night.
Where the Cougars have struggled is taking care of the ball. They rank No. 10 in the 11-team WCC with a -2.25 turnover margin. That’s bad news when they’re facing a team that can shoot the ball the way Santa Clara can.
The Broncos knocked down a season-high 18 3-pointers in their win over Gonzaga. It’s the second-most 3’s that Santa Clara has hit in a game in program history, and the most the Zags have ever surrendered.
Bryan, who let me remind you put up 35 points against Gonzaga, is Santa Clara’s fourth-leading scorer. Like Washington State, all five of Santa Clara’s starters are averaging more than 10 points a night. Unlike the Cougars, the Broncos also have three players, including Bryan, who average more than four rebounds a game.
Santa Clara ranks No. 3 in the WCC with 38.9 rebounds a game. The Broncos will be hard for anyone to beat if they can keep controlling the boards and hitting shots the way they have.
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