Newly-minted No. 2 Gonzaga has quite a resume. They’re 22-1 in the season with their only loss coming to No. 6 Arizona in overtime earlier in the season. The Zags will have an excellent chance of showing off their supremacy in conference play against the Santa Clara Broncos, losers of two in a row.
Can Gonzaga solidify its status as one of the elite teams in the nation? Read on as we take a look at one of the top dogs of the nation. While you’re at it, read up on one of the best rookies in the nation as Ohio State takes on Purdue here.
Since losing to Arizona on December 6, the Gonzaga Bulldogs have made a habit of blowing out their competition. They have an average winning margin of 18 points over a 15-game win streak.
[sc:NCAAB240banner ]One of their dominant wins came against Santa Clara. The Zags won the first matchup 79-57 on their home court. Center Przemek Karnowski dominated inside with 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting and nine rebounds. Forward Kyle Wiltjer also had a big day going 6-for-12, including one from downtown, for 16 points.
What made the Zags so efficient in that game was their propensity for sharing the ball. Gonzaga’s starters accounted for 13 assists, led by Kevin Pangos’ four. Pangos was also quite a handful on the other side of the ball with four steals.
Forcing turnovers should be a key for the Zags in this game, especially against Santa Clara’s tight ball-handling. Gonzaga has 7.3 steals per game, while Santa Clara has allowed an average of 4.8 steals per home game this season.
Gonzaga’s frontcourt duo continues to key the team’s attack. Karnowski has averaged 10.8 points over the past five games, while Wiltjer has averaged 11. Meanwhile, the backcourt has its own contributions as Gary Bell Jr. has hit 43 percent of his three-pointers over the past five games, while Pangos has also been hot from downtown (41 percent).
The Zags have won nine straight games against Santa Clara.
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Betting on the Santa Clara Broncos
The Santa Clara Broncos are in a tough spot. They’ve lost back-to-back games and face No. 2 Gonzaga next. While the Zags dominated the first matchup, that loss came on the road. The Broncos are a much more formidable team at home, winning their last five games, and could be worth a look on the spread despite the ugly matchup on paper.
Despite the lopsided loss to Gonzaga earlier in the season, Santa Clara still has some things to take away from that game. Matt Hubbard (15), Jared Brownridge (14) and Denzel Johnson (10) all scored in double digits. Hubbard went 5-for-9 from three-point range for the game, while Brownridge went 5-for-11 from the field as the only two Santa Clara players to shoot over 40 percent against Gonzaga.
While Santa Clara’s shooting defense (45 percent, 276th in the nation) doesn’t bode well for the hot shooting Zags’ NCAA-leading 53 percent shooting, they can at least keep things close by putting up points of theior own. They’ll need leading scorer Brandon Clark (16 points per game) to find his touch against Gonzaga. He has averaged 19.6 points over the past five games but was held to just four points in the teams’ first matchup.
Santa Clara is 4-1 ATS in its last five games against the Zags.
Writer’s Prediction
The Zags take another big win, but Santa Clara covers the large spread.
