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The Utah State Aggies take on the Santa Clara Broncos. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Utah State Santa Clara prediction and pick. Find how to watch Utah State Santa Clara.
The Utah State Aggies and Santa Clara Broncos are relatively unknown entities 10 games into the college basketball season. Utah State is 9-1 and Santa Clara is 7-3. The records look good on the surface, but Utah State hasn't played an especially demanding schedule. Santa Clara has played a more challenging schedule over the past few weeks. The Broncos played Oregon, Ohio State, Cal, and New Mexico. Three of those four games are particularly difficult. Ohio State and New Mexico are having very good seasons. Losing to those two teams is no cause for embarrassment, shame, or alarm. Santa Clara having a 7-3 record against the schedule it played is not that much worse than Utah State being 9-1 against its comparatively softer schedule.
If there is a particularly big discussion point entering this game, it would likely be the fact that Santa Clara lost by 15 points to Cal. It's a Pac-12 team, but Cal is not very good this season in Year 1 under coach Mark Madsen. Cal might be good next season, and Madsen might be a rising star in the college basketball coaching industry, but this season, the Golden Bears have struggled and should continue to struggle. Losing to Cal is bad, but losing to Cal by 15 is an eye-opening result. That is something commentators will wonder about heading into this game. Santa Clara's ceiling is high enough to beat Oregon, but the floor is low enough to lose to Cal by 15. The Broncos are not easy to figure out. Neither is Utah State, given how soft its schedule has been.
Here are the Utah State-Santa Clara College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Utah State-Santa Clara Odds
Utah State Aggies: -1.5 (-110)
Santa Clara Broncos: +1.5 (-110)
Over: 150.5 (-106)
Under: 150.5 (-114)
How To Watch Utah State vs Santa Clara
Time: 10:00 pm ET / 7:00 pm PT
TV: ESPN Plus
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Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Utah State Could Cover the Spread
The Aggies, at 9-1, have been a solid and consistent team this season. Their schedule has not been hugely difficult, but there are a few notable results on the portfolio, including and especially a road win at Saint Louis. Utah State has shown it can win on the road against decent opposition. We're not talking about elite opponents, but credible opposition. That win over Saint Louis offers potential bettors reasonable grounds to trust Utah State on the road in this game.
Why Santa Clara Could Cover the Spread
The Broncos have tested themselves against good teams. Ohio State is a good team. Oregon is a good team. New Mexico is a good team. All three of those teams could very realistically be in the NCAA Tournament this coming March. Santa Clara went 1-2 against those teams and learned a lot about itself as a group. Those challenges have made Santa Clara a more battle-tested team. Those previous games put Santa Clara in position to play Utah State vigorously and well. Being at home, the Broncos can put forth a very strong performance in a game which is very close to being a pick 'em. Straight up, the Broncos have to like their chances at home.
Final Utah State-Santa Clara Prediction & Pick
This is a coin flip, the kind of game you want to stay away from as a bettor.
Final Utah State-Santa Clara Prediction & Pick: Utah State -1.5
