The Santa Clara Broncos will travel to University Credit Union Pavilion to take on the Saint Mary’s Gaels this Thursday night in College Basketball action.
The Santa Clara Broncos had their 4-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 11-6 on the season after being defeated by the 2nd ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs, 115-83, this past Saturday. Santa Clara had no answers on the defensive end for the talented Gonzaga offense and could not fight back after the Bulldogs took a 60-41 halftime lead. Santa Clara shot just 39.7% from the field & 30.8% from beyond the arc while allowing Gonzaga to shoot 58.7% from the field & 46.2% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Broncos was Jalen Williams who had 17 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assist, 1 block, & 2 steals.
On the season, Santa Clara is averaging 77.3 ppg on 48.4% shooting from the field. The Broncos are averaging 7.6 three-pointers per game on 37.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Santa Clara has been led by Jalen Williams (18.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.4 spg), Keshawn Justice (14.9 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 2.7 apg), Josip Vrankic (14.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.6 spg), & PJ Pipes (10.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.0 spg).
Defensively, Santa Clara is allowing their opponents to average 70.8 ppg on 42.4% shooting from the field. The Broncos have a rebound margin of -0.5 and a turnover margin of 0.5.
The Saint Mary’s Gaels improved to 13-4 on the season after defeating the Pepperdine Waves, 77-62, this past Thursday. Saint Mary’s was solid offensively against Pepperdine and was able to pull away for the victory after a 7-0 Gaels run gave Saint Mary’s a 66-53 lead with 5:12 left in regulation. Saint Mary’s shot 52.9% from the field & 50.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Pepperdine to shoot 40.7% from the field & 44.4% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Gaels was Matthias Tass who had 10 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 blocks, & 1 steal.
On the season, Saint Mary’s is averaging 77.3 ppg on 48.4% shooting from the field. The Gaels are averaging 7.6 three-pointers per game on 37.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Saint Mary’s has been led by Matthias Tass (12.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.1 bpg), Logan Johnson (10.7 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.9 spg), Tommy Kuhse (10.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.2 apg), & Alex Ducas (9.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg).
Defensively, Saint Mary’s is holding their opponents to an average of 58.0 ppg on 41.1% shooting from the field. The Gaels have a rebound margin of 6.2 and a turnover margin of 0.4.
The Broncos are 4-8 ATS in their last 12 games, however, are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games vs. St. Mary’s. The Gaels are 8-4 ATS in their last 12 games & 6-2 ATS in their last 8 home games.
Santa Clara has been led by their offense which currently ranks 60th in scoring offense, 21st in FG%, & 31st in 3P-FG%, however, the defense has struggled a bit keeping opponents off the scoreboard as the Broncos rank just 230th in scoring defense & 165th in defensive FG%. Saint Mary’s has been led by their defense which ranks 8th in scoring defense, 86th in defensive FG%, & 43rd in rebound margin, however, the Gaels haven’t been able to put up many points this season and come into this game ranked just 272nd in scoring offense.
St. Mary’s is 9-0 at home, however, this is a very good Santa Clara team that has had some recent ATS success against the Gales. Santa Clara disappointed a bit against Gonzaga, however, this is a team that can really score the basketball and as I think they will have some success getting through the tough Saint Mary’s defense, I think Santa Clara, at worst, does enough with the points to get us a cover. Good Luck!