Washington State vs Santa Clara 3/15/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Santa Clara Broncos and Washington State Cougars meet Tuesday in the college basketball NIT First Round at the Friel Court. The Santa Clara Broncos look for a win after winning 10 of their last 14 games. The Washington State Cougars look for a win after winning five of their last seven games.

The Santa Clara Broncos are averaging 77.9 points on 49.2 percent shooting and allowing 72.3 points on 43.2 percent shooting. Jalen Williams is averaging 18 points and 4.1 rebounds, while Josip Vrankic is averaging 15.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. Keshawn Justice is the third double-digit scorer and PJ Pipes is dishing 2.9 assists. The Santa Clara Broncos are shooting 38.3 percent from beyond the arc and 76.3 percent from the free throw line. The Santa Clara Broncos are allowing 34.7 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 32 rebounds per game.

The Washington State Cougars are averaging 72.3 points on 41.1 percent shooting and allowing 65.3 points on 42 percent shooting. Michael Flowers is averaging 14 points and 3.3 assists, while Tyrell Roberts is averaging 11 points and 2.4 rebounds. Noah Williams is the third double-digit scorer and Mouhamed Gueye is grabbing 5.4 rebounds. The Washington State Cougars are shooting 34.3 percent from beyond the arc and 74.1 percent from the free throw line. The Washington State Cougars are allowing 32.8 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 33.7 rebounds per game.

The Broncos are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games and 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games overall. The Cougars are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 home games and 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games overall. The over is 4-0 in Broncos last 4 overall. The over is 5-1-1 in Cougars last 7 overall.

The Santa Clara Broncos played great ball down the stretch, and they come into this tournament on fire offensively, shooting 50.7 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from three in their last five games. Santa Clara also loses in the underdog role by an average of just 2.7 points. The Washington State Cougars have been hit or miss all season, and they’re just 7-12 against the spread at home. I’ll take a shot with Santa Clara and the free points.