Gonzaga vs Santa Clara prediction, game preview, odds, how to watch. Thursday, February 2
Gonzaga vs Santa Clara How To Watch
Date: Thursday, February 2
Game Time: 11:00 pm ET
Venue: McCarthey Athletic Center, Spokane, WA
How To Watch: CBS Sports Network
Record: Santa Clara (16-7), Gonzaga (18-4)
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Santa Clara vs Gonzaga Game Preview
Why Santa Clara Will Win
The Broncos kept it tight the first time.
They lost a month ago at home to Gonzaga 81-76, but they shot well, were great on the glass, and they were able to crank up the extra pass for a slew of easy shots.
It’s all about forcing misses for them. Great on the boards, they can’t get into a wild up-and-down shootout and they certainly can’t make this about threes – they can’t guard from the outside.
They won the rebounding margin in the first game, and this time they have to come up with a slew of second chance points and can’t allow the Bulldogs to get anything consistently working.
But …
Why Gonzaga Will Win
Again, Santa Clara doesn’t do anything to stop teams from hitting from three.
It’s not great defensively overall, but they have particular problems coming up with anything to bother the outside bombers.
Gonzaga certainly doesn’t need to hit from the outside to win – and it’s not all that great at stopping the three – but it leads the nation in field goal percentage and is terrific at generating open shots.
Santa Clara can score, but …
What’s Going To Happen
The Bronco firepower isn’t there to hang punch-for-punch with the Bulldogs.
It’s possible to beat Gonzaga in Spokane, but it requires slowing the game down to a dead stop and hoping and praying for the home side to go dead cold from the outside.
Santa Clara’s defense is too rocky from the outside and it doesn’t force enough mistakes to bother the Bulldogs. This will open up fast.
Santa Clara vs Gonzaga Prediction, Line
Gonzaga 86, Santa Clara 69
Line: Gonzaga -13.5, o/u: 159
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
Must See Ranking: 2
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