
Gonzaga vs Santa Clara Prediction 1/18/25 College Basketball Picks Today
Santa Clara (12-7) vs. Gonzaga (14-5)
January 18, 2025 9:00 pm EDT
The Line: Gonzaga -13.5; Over/Under: 158.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Santa Clara Broncos and the Gonzaga Bulldogs meet Saturday in college basketball action from McCarthey Athletic Center. Here’s a Gonzaga vs Santa Clara prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Gonzaga vs Santa Clara pick
Santa Clara Broncos Betting Preview
Santa Clara’s season got started with a very shaky run, but to their credit the Broncos have ben able to right the proverbial ship and they’re looking much better as of late. Santa Clara lost five of their first eight games this year, beating only Saint Louis, UC Riverside and TCU in that time. Otherwise it was losses to Arizona State, North Dakota State, Nevada, Stanford and Washington. Following a six-game win streak versus McNeese, Fresno State, Bradley, Kennesaw State, South Dakota and Pepperdine, Santa Clara took another loss to San Francisco in overtime on December 30. The Broncos were able to start out the new calendar year on a great run though, beating San Diego, Oregon State and San Francisco in the next three games for a 12-6 overall run through their first 16 outings of the season.
In the matchup with Loyola Marymount on Thursday, the Broncos were within three points 29-26 by halftime. Santa Clara didn’t end up gaining any ground from there however, eventually losing 57-54 after a 28-28 run in the second half. Leading the team in scoring was Christoph Tilly with 25 points and four boards. Adama-Alpha Bal was the only other player on the team to finish in double-figures with 14 points, five assists and two rebounds in 31 minutes of work.
Gonzaga Bulldogs Betting Preview
Over on the Gonzaga side, they had a shaky run in late November/early December but outside of that they’ve been quite the steady team so far this season. The Bulldogs took out Baylor, Arizona State, UMass Lowell, San Diego State and Long Beach State in their first five games. The next five were a rough 2-3 run though, featuring wins over Indiana and Davidson amid losses to West Virginia, Kentucky and UConn. Gonzaga hit a 7-1 stretch over the next eight with a lone loss to UCLA. Otherwise it was wins over Nicholls, Bucknell, Pepperdine, Portland, Loyola Marymount, San Diego and Washington State for a 14-4 opening run over 18 games.
Matched up against Oregon State in their Thursday game, the Bulldogs had a tough battle on their hands. Gonzaga was down by one point 46-45 going into the second half, forced overtime and eventually lost a tough one 97-89. All five starters finished in double-figures during the defeat though, with Graham Ike leading the team on 26 points and nine rebounds. Ben Gregg notched a double-double on 15 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two steals. Ryan Nembhard doubled as well with 13 points, 10 assists and six rebounds in 44 minutes.
Why the Gonzaga Bulldogs will win
- Gonzaga has won each of its last 10 games at McCarthey Athletic Center.
- Gonzaga has won the first half in each of its last 10 night games at McCarthey Athletic Center.
Why the Santa Clara Broncos will win
- Santa Clara has won nine of its last 11 games.
- Santa Clara has won the first half in seven of its last eight Saturday night road games against the West Coast Conference.
Gonzaga vs Santa Clara Prediction
I’ll lean toward Gonzaga. Some of the luster has worn off this matchup however, seeing as how both teams are coming off tough road defeats this week. The Bulldogs shot 41.7 percent with a 41-28 rebounding edge (19-3 offensive) in their loss to Oregon State, but also coughed up 12 turnovers for 19 Beavers points and gave up 58.5 percent shooting on defense. Still, Gonzaga has scored 81 or more points in six straight games now (a 5-1 run), so that’s nothing to sneeze at. The defense could use a shot in the arm statistically, however.
As for Santa Clara, they shot just 36.2 percent from the field and 15.4 percent (4-of-26) from 3-point range in their latest loss to LMU. The 13 turnovers didn’t help matters, either. The 54 points in that defeat broke a string of 74 or more points in 10 straight outings (a 9-1 run), so it was a pretty disappointing effort offensively. I like Santa Clara to hold the pace for most of the game here, but it should be Gonzaga’s cover to take if the Bulldogs play well.