Santa Clara vs Loyola Marymount 2/3/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Loyola Marymount Lions will travel to the Leavey Center to take on the Santa Clara Broncos this Thursday night in College Basketball action.

The Loyola Marymount Lions lost their 3^rd straight game and dropped to 9-10 on the season after being defeated by the San Diego Toreros, 69-65, this past Saturday. Loyola Marymount struggled defensively against San Diego and could not fight back after the Toreros took a 63-57 lead with 3:22 left in regulation. Loyola Marymount shot 47.2% from the field & 26.3% from beyond the arc while allowing San Diego to shoot 52.9% from the field & 42.9% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Lions was Eli Scott who had 21 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, & 1 block.

On the season, Loyola Marymount is averaging 67.8 ppg on 44.7% shooting from the field. The Lions are averaging 6.6 three-pointers per game on 32.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Loyola Marymount has been led by Eli Scott (16.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 3.6 apg), Joe Quintana (12.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.3 spg), Keli Leaupepe (8.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg), & Cam Shelton (8.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.1 spg).

Defensively, Loyola Marymount is allowing their opponents to average 72.1 ppg on 45.9% shooting from the field. The Lions have a rebound margin of -0.6 and a turnover margin of -1.8.

The Santa Clara Broncos improved to 14-8 on the season after defeating the Pacific Tigers, 81-59, this past Monday. Santa Clara trailed by a 34-29 margin at halftime, however, the Broncos dominated the Tigers on both ends of the court in the 2^nd half and had no trouble pulling after putting up 52 2^nd half points against the Tigers. Santa Clara shot 50.0% from the field & 44.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Pacific to shoot 33.3% from the field & 40.9% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Broncos was Keshawn Justice who had a double-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, & 2 blocks.

On the season, Santa Clara is averaging 77.3 ppg on 48.5% shooting from the field. The Broncos are averaging 7.4 three-pointers per game on 37.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Santa Clara has been led by Jalen Williams (18.4 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.2 spg), Josip Vrankic (14.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.4 spg), Keshawn Justice (14.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.6 apg), & PJ Pipes (10.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.2 apg).

Defensviely, Santa Clara is allowing their opponents to an average of 71.5 ppg on 42.7% shooting from the field. The Broncos have a rebound margin of -0.8 and a turnover margin of 0.8.

The Lions are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS loss & 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600. The Broncos are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up win & 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following a ATS win.

Loyola Marymount has struggled on both ends of the court this season, ranking 268^th in scoring offense & t-260^th in scoring defense, and I don’t think it gets much better for the Lions on the road against Santa Clara. Santa Clara is 11-3 at home this season and as they have an explosive offense that ranks 51^st in scoring offense & 14^th in FG%, I think Santa Clara does enough in this one to cover this large home spread. Good Luck!