Mark Few and his Gonzaga Bulldogs (+800 to win the national title) are like a man among toddlers in the West Coast Conference. This has been the case for many years now, but that doesn’t mean they are invincible. Can the Santa Clara pull off a shocker in Spokane this Thursday?
Betting on the Santa Clara Broncos (15-3 Overall / 2-1 Conference)
The Broncos are back to their winning ways. After having their six-game win streak snapped in an 80-61 road loss to the San Francisco Dons last week, the Broncos rebounded with a 67-66 squeaker of a win over the Saint Mary’s Gaels last Saturday, giving them a much-needed confidence booster going into a date with the No. 1 team in the nation in the form of Gonzaga. Forward Josip Vrankic led the way for the Broncos, as he exploded for 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field while also grabbing a team-high 10 rebounds in 36 minutes. However, Trey Wentz, who leads the Broncos in scoring this season, put up just seven points on a salty 3-of-10 shooting. The Broncos need a total team effort, especially on offense to beat Gonzaga. Wentz is averaging 12.2 points per game, while four other Broncos are putting up at least 9.0 points per contest.
The Broncos are 26th in the nation with 15.8 assists per game. They are also 6-4 against the spread (ATS) in their last 10 road games.
Betting on the Gonzaga Bulldogs (18-1 Overall / 4-0 Conference)
Who can stop Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference? The Loyola Marymount Lions are not the answer to that question after getting destroyed by the Bulldogs last Saturday, 87-62. The Bulldogs were simply too much on both ends of the floor for Loyola Marymount. Gonzaga won the rebounding battle by a mile, 41-23, while shooting 52.5 percent from the field. The Bulldogs are the No. 1 scoring team in the nation with 87.8 points per game. They are efficient in shooting the rock, as Gonzaga is second nationally with a 56.7 effective field goal percentage and a 50.2 field goal percentage. The Bulldogs are deep with six players averaging in double digits in scoring and six with at least 9.2 points per game.
The over is 3-1 in Gonzaga’s last four home games.
