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It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Fresno State Santa Clara prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Fresno State Santa Clara.
This college basketball season is coming into focus after a lot of high-end nonconference games in the first month of the campaign. More clarity will emerge from this game between Fresno State of the Mountain West and Santa Clara of the West Coast Conference.
Fresno State lost to Bakersfield and Santa Barbara earlier in the season, and it has to be said that Santa Barbara has not been especially strong in the first month of the season. Therefore, the quality of Fresno State's losses has not been great across the board. The Bulldogs' most recent loss, however, did come against an elite opponent, San Diego State. The Aztecs beat Houston last week, and they carried the momentum from that win into Fresno. The Aztecs controlled the game throughout and turned on the jets in the second half with a big offensive outburst. SDSU put 55 points on the board after halftime and ran away with an 84-62 win over the Bulldogs. Fresno State doesn't have an elite offense, but the Bulldogs have at times been able to force more talented Mountain West opponents to play in the mud and get involved in an ugly slog. That is how Fresno State has usually been competitive, when it can make the game difficult for the opponent as opposed to creating a game with free-flowing offense and lots of scoring. For one half, the Bulldogs were able to stay close by making it hard for San Diego State to score. Fresno State held SDSU under 30 points in the first half, which is not easy to do. Then the dam broke in the second half, and there was no way for the Bulldogs to keep pace.
Santa Clara remains an enigmatic team under coach Herb Sendek. The Broncos — every season — come up with majestic performances. They beat Gonzaga in recent years. In November, they hammered a decent TCU team which defeated Xavier this past week. There are times when Sendek's Santa Clara teams look like world-beaters. Then there are the games they throw away, and which crush their NCAA Tournament aspirations. They blew a lead of nearly 20 points at home to North Dakota State. They also let a close one slip away against Stanford. The inconsistency of this team remains a problem, and the Broncos have to find a way to address that flaw as their season develops.
Here are the Fresno State-Santa Clara College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Fresno State-Santa Clara Odds
Fresno State: +15.5 (-102)
Moneyline: +1000
Santa Clara: -15.5 (-120)
Moneyline: -2100
Over: 154.5 (-110)
Under: 154.5 (-110)
How to Watch Fresno State vs Santa Clara
Time: 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN Plus
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why Fresno State Will Cover The Spread/Win
The spread is huge, and Fresno State has shown that it can play good defense against quality teams. FSU played one really good defensive half against San Diego State. It simply could not play two strong halves. If the Bulldogs can put together 40 full minutes instead of 20 — or at least 30 to 35 minutes — that should be enough to cover what is a giant spread.
Why Santa Clara Will Cover The Spread/Win
Fresno State just can't keep pace for 40 full minutes against good teams. Santa Clara is going to have a five-minute stretch in this game in which it outscores Fresno State by 10 to 15 points. That will be enough to push the Broncos to a spread win by 18 to 23 points.
Final Fresno State-Santa Clara Prediction & Pick
Our lean is to Santa Clara, but the spread is big. Pass on this one.
Final Fresno State-Santa Clara Prediction & Pick: Santa Clara -15.5
