Play The Total As Gonzaga Takes On Santa Clara

Gonzaga vs. Santa Clara, 11:00 ET

With hockey having been on a break for an extended period, I've been writing more and more about college basketball. There was one week were it was just kind of average results, and another where it went pretty well. Now that hockey is back, I feel like I'm in a good groove for the hoops analysis. I will eventually go back to the ice, but right now, I have plays for college hoops so that's what we will stick with. Tonight, Gonzaga takes on Santa Clara and just because these aren't the most prominent teams doesn't mean we can't make some money on the game. 

Gonzaga entered the season as one of the best teams and one that had a lot of potential. Unfortunately for them the season hasn't exactly gone the way that they would've hoped. They are no longer ranked, but that really doesn't mean anything in the long run. They are still having a good enough year in terms of their record. They enter tonight's game with a 21-8 record, but they are just 12-4 in what is a pretty easy conference. They still play in the West Coast Conference, and entering tonight, they are 12-4 in conference games, sitting in third place behind St. Mary's and San Francisco. Gonzaga actually lost to St. Mary's twice now and will not be able to catch them in the standings. The other losses this season were against tonight's opponent, Santa Clara, and Oregon State. I am a bit surprised that Gonzaga lost the first one against Santa Clara as the team was at home. I would love to tell you the problem was just players missing games or something, but they don't really have any of that. They have their top eight scorers all playing in 28 or 29 games, and five guys averaging double digits. They just don't seem to find ways to win when they need to.

Jan 18, 2025; Spokane, Washington, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Ben Gregg (33) waves to the fans after a game against the Santa Clara Broncos at McCarthey Athletic Center. Santa Clara Broncos won 103-99. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images

Santa Clara is probably not a team that many have on their radar. I suppose I can't blame you for that as it is not a school that you're going to hear much about unless you hear about them as a Cinderella story. Sure, they might have a kid or two that will make the G League, but there isn't much outside of that. They are slightly behind Gonzaga in the standings, sitting at 19-10 for the season, but they also are directly behind in the WCC standings. At the moment, Santa Clara is 11-5 in the WCC play with losses to San Francisco, Loyola Marymount, Oregon State, and Saint Mary's twice. They did face Gonzaga earlier in the season, on the road, and were able to escape with a 103-99 win over the Bulldogs. Now, in the comfort of their own home, they have to try and replicate that success. The team is led by a couple of scoring guards and a center that contribute almost half of their points per game between the three of them. The team is pretty deep though overall with seven guys averaging seven or more points per game.

The line on this one is moving in favor of Santa Clara, and I can't say I disagree with it. Gonzaga hasn't been playing that great of basketball this year and has struggled on the road. There is no question that the bigger basketball program is Gonzaga and sometimes it is smart to trust that, but this season, they haven't proved themselves trustworthy despite a few nice wins (ones we've cashed on, by the way). I lean towards taking the points with Santa Clara, but I'm going to back the over 162.5 in this game. I do think the defense will improve but we had 200+ points in the first one, I don't think we see that big of a dip. 

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