Both Gonzaga and Santa Clara are coming off upset losses earlier in the week. Who will be able to bounce back on Saturday night?
TV schedule: Saturday, January 18th, 9:00 pm ET. ESPN+
Arena: MaCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington
The additions of Oregon State and Washington State to the WCC have made the top of the league much more competitive so far. There are now six teams with a record of 4-2 or better, including the two teams playing in this game.
Gonzaga (14-5, 5-1 WCC) is a perennial conference and national contender and it’s rare to see them lose a game not to Saint Mary’s. However, the Bulldogs’ five-game win streak was snapped on Thursday, as they fell 97-89 at Oregon State in OT. All five starters were in double figures, led by 26 points and nine rebounds from Graham Ike, while Ben Gregg chipped in with 15 points and 13 rebounds.
Yet that somehow wasn’t the biggest upset on the night in the WCC. Santa Clara (12-7, 4-2) was on a roll itself since league play started and was at LMU, a team with just one conference victory. But in a low-scoring affair, the Broncos came up short on the road, losing 57-54. Christoph Tilly had 25 points to carry them, while Adama Bal chipped in with 14. But shooting 36% from the field wasn’t going to be good enough to win on the road.
Santa Clara vs Gonzaga is interesting because the Broncos pulled off the major home upset a year ago at home to snap the Bulldogs’ 20+ year win streak against the other seven teams in the WCC that weren’t named St. Mary’s and BYU. Plus, the Broncos have been very competitive against Coach Mark Few’s team, wherever they play.
The big matchup will be inside between Ike and Tilly. But Santa Clara has a good balance, similar to the Bulldogs with four double-digit scorers. They’ll need their guards Bal and Carlos Stewart to have big games to have a shot at the road upset.
In the end, it’s hard to envision Gonzaga losing two straight games in WCC play, especially when one is at home coming off a loss. Look for the Bulldogs to make a statement on Saturday night to get back in the win column.
Prediction: Gonzaga 84, Santa Clara 71