Gonzaga vs Santa Clara 2/19/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Santa Clara Broncos will travel to the McCarthey Athletic Center to take on the top-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs this Saturday night.

The Santa Clara Broncos improved to 18-9 on the season after defeating the Loyola Marymount Lions, 84-80, this past Thursday. Santa Clara was outstanding on the offensive end against Loyola Marymount and was able to hold on late after a pair of FT’s by PJ Pipes gave the Broncos an 82-76 lead with :12 seconds left in regulation. Santa Clara shot 53.6% from the field & 36.4% from beyond the arc while allowing Loyola Marymount to shoot 46.4% from the field & 44.4% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Broncos was PJ Pipes who had 19 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, & 3 steals.

On the season, Santa Clara is averaging 76.9 ppg on 48.7% shooting from the field. The Broncos are averaging 7.1 three-pointers per game on 37.4% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Santa Clara has been led by Jalen Williams (17.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.3 spg), Josip Vrankic (15.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.4 spg), Keshawn Justice (13.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.5 apg), & PJ Pipes (11.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.0 apg).

Defensviely, Santa Clara is allowing their opponents to average 71.3 ppg on 42.9% shooting from the field. The Broncos have a rebound margin of 0.5 and a turnover margin of 0.6.

The top-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs won their 15^th straight game and improved to 22-2 on the season after defeating the Pepperdine Waves, 86-66, this past Wednesday. Gonzaga was outstanding on both ends of the court against Pepperdine and pulled way for the victory after taking a 76-56 lead with 5:10 left in regulation. Gonzaga shot 51.5% from the field & 22.2% from beyond the arc while holding Pepperdine to 37.5% shooting from beyond the arc & 30.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bulldogs was Chet Holmgren who had a double-double with 18 points, 17 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 blocks, & 1 steal.

On the season, Gonzaga is averaging 89.9 ppg on 53.5% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs are averaging 8.5 three-pointers per game on 37.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Gonzaga has been led by Drew Timme (17.8 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.5 apg), Chet Holmgren (14.6 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 2.0 apg, 3.3 bpg), Julian Strawther (12.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.1 apg), & Andrew Nembhard (10.5 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 5.6 apg, 1.7 spg).

Defensviely, Gonzaga is holding their opponents to an average of 64.4 ppg on 37.1% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs have a rebound margin of 10.2 and a turnover margin of 0.9.

The Broncos are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up win & 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record. The Bulldogs are 4-0-2 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning % of .600 & 5-1-2 ATS in their last 8 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record.

Santa Clara is one of the better teams in the WCC, however, the Broncos can struggle on the defensive end as the they come into this game ranked just 240^th in scoring defense & 175^th in defensive FG%. Gonzaga is the top team in the country and have been outstanding on both ends of the court this season as they currently rank 1^st in scoring offense, 1^st in FG%, & 3^rd in defensive FG%. Gonzaga is 15-0 at home and as they already defeated Santa Clara by a 115-83 margin on the road this season, I’m taking the Bulldogs to cover this large home spread. Good Luck!