The Santa Clara Broncos will try to move into third place in the West Coast Conference standings when they face the BYU Cougars on Thursday night. Santa Clara bounced back from an 81-76 loss to Gonzaga with a 92-81 win against Pacific on Saturday. BYU lost to Gonzaga by one point last Thursday, but it recovered with a 91-81 win against Pepperdine.
Tipoff is set for 11 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network. The Broncos are favored by 2.5 points in the latest Santa Clara vs. BYU odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under is set at 146.5. Before entering any BYU vs. Santa Clara picks, you'll want to see the college basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters Week 11 of the season 41-21 on all top-rated college basketball picks, returning more than $1,200 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Santa Clara vs. BYU. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds for BYU vs. Santa Clara:
- Santa Clara vs. BYU spread: Santa Clara -2.5
- Santa Clara vs. BYU over/under: 146 points
- Santa Clara vs. BYU money line: Santa Clara -145, Brigham Young +122
- Santa Clara vs. BYU picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Santa Clara can cover
Santa Clara has been excellent since the middle of December, winning seven of its last nine games, including a 92-81 win against Pacific on Saturday. The Broncos' two losses during that stretch came against Saint Mary's and Gonzaga by a combined eight points, and those are the two best teams in the conference. They exceeded expectations in both of those losses and have now covered the spread in six straight games.
The Broncos are also on a remarkable run against WCC teams, covering the spread in 10 straight conference games. Sophomore guard Brandin Podziemski leads Santa Clara with 18.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Sophomore guard Carlos Stewart (14.9) and senior forward Keshawn Justice (13.2) have both been key contributors as well.
Why BYU can cover
BYU's season has followed a similar trajectory, as it has only lost two games since Dec. 7. The Cougars went on a seven-game winning streak to close out the December portion of their schedule, beating then-No. 21 Creighton and Utah during that stretch. They took then-No. 8 Gonzaga down to the wire last Thursday, coming up just short in a 75-74 final, but they covered the 5.5-point spread.
BYU bounced back from that loss with a 91-81 win against Pepperdine on Saturday, as sophomore forward Fousseyni Traore scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds. The Cougars have covered the spread in seven of their last 10 games, and they have won 18 of the last 20 meetings between these teams. Traore leads the team with 12.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, while senior forward Gideon George is adding 12.0 points and 6.2 rebounds.
How to make Santa Clara vs. BYU picks
The model has simulated BYU vs. Santa Clara 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Under, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Santa Clara vs. BYU? And which side of the spread hits well over 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is 41-21 on its top-rated college basketball picks this season, and find out.
