Santa Clara vs Gonzaga Basketball Picks 1-11-24

The Gonzaga Bulldogs and the Santa Clara Broncos meet in college basketball action from the Leavey Center on Thursday night. A pair of 2-0 WCC teams go at it here, who comes out on top for win #3? Let’s dive in and find out with our Gonzaga vs. Santa Clara Prediction.

Gonzaga Team Preview

The Gonzaga Bulldogs come into this one looking to build on back-to-back wins after a 101-74 win over San Diego last time out. Graham Ike leads the Zags in scoring and rebounding with 15.2 PPG and 8 RPG while Anton Watson is right behind with 13.8 PPG and 7.3 RPG. Nolan Hickman has 12.7 PPG with 2.6 APG and Braden Huff has 10.5 PPG while Ryan Nembhard has 12.5 PPG with 4.1 RPG and a team-high 6 APG to lead the Zags in assists while rounding out the group of double-digit scorers for Gonzaga so far this season. As a team, Gonzaga is averaging 84.9 PPG on 49.8% shooting from the field, 33.1% from three and 70.2% from the foul line this season.

Santa Clara Team Preview

The Santa Clara Broncos come into this one fresh off of a 78-72 win over Pepperdine last time out. Adama Bal leads the Broncos in scoring and assists with 15.9 PPG and 3 APG along with 3.4 RPG while Carlos Marshall Jr. has 14.2 PPG with a team-high 5.6 RPG to lead the Broncos on the glass as the only other double-digit scorer for the Broncos up to this point in the year. As a team, Santa Clara is averaging 76.6 PPG on 46.9% shooting from the field, 37.4% from three and 70.6% from the foul line this season.

Gonzaga vs. Santa Clara Prediction

I’m on Gonzaga here. This is a different Gonzaga team compared to what we are used to seeing in years past, but the Zags are still a legitimate threat and I’m just not sure if I’m ready to back Santa Clara at a short number like this. Gonzaga’s earned the benefit of the doubt due to their history of dominance in the WCC and I think they bag another win and cover here.