The Arizona Wildcats (4-0) and Santa Clara Broncos (0-5) will square off at Titan Gym for this game. The game starts at 11:30 pm ET on Thursday, Nov. 26 and can be seen on ES2 and ES3.
The Wildcats come into this game on a high note after thoroughly outplaying Northwestern State 61-42 on Sunday. Gabe York was the game’s high scorer with 18 points on 6-for-12 shooting. The Broncos are coming off an awful 79-61 loss to UC Irvine on Monday. Nate Kratch stood out for Santa Clara, registering nine points, 14 rebounds, and one steal.
Arizona is a substantial 22-point favorite at home and the Over/Under (O/U) for this matchup is 134 points. The Wildcats have gone 4-0 Straight Up (SU) and 1-3 Against The Spread (ATS). Teams routinely struggle to score points against the Wildcats, who allow only 59.8 points per game. The Wildcats have really locked down opponents on the defensive end, ranking first in the country with a .388 opponent field-goal percentage.
In the other locker room, the Broncos have come out of the gate playing poorly with records of 0-5 SU and 0-5 ATS. Teams seem to consistently miss shots against the Broncos, who are the top team in the nation in terms of opponent field goal percentage allowed at .418.
Arizona and Santa Clara have not played one another in a regular season matchup in recent years.
Predictions: SU Winner – Ari, ATS Winner – Ari, O/U – Over
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Arizona’s last 5 games.
Santa Clara scores an average of just 57.0 points per game (ranked 344th). Arizona ranks 25th in points allowed, giving up 59.8 points per game.
In its last game, Arizona won by a margin of 19 points. Santa Clara is 0-2 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Arizona has a 3-0 record in blowouts.
The Arizona Wildcats have the nation’s top defense, with a defensive rating of 87.4. The Santa Clara Broncos have an offensive rating of 84.3 (ranked 346th).
The Santa Clara Broncos average a field goal percentage of 33.9% this season. The Arizona Wildcats are a perfect 4-0 in games where opponents have a FG% of 33.9% or greater.
The Arizona Wildcats attempt 19.0 three pointers per game this season, while the Santa Clara Broncos attempt 21.0. When they register 20 or more three point attempts in a game, Arizona is undefeated (3-0) while Santa Clara is winless (0-3).
Arizona, the 56th-ranked team in rebounding, register an average of 43.0 rebounds per game. Santa Clara does worse, ranked 240th with 35.8.
Santa Clara ranks 243rd in offensive rebounds, while Arizona ranks at 53rd in defensive rebounds.
Arizona is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TO% of 18.3% (ranked first). Santa Clara is winless this season (0-2 SU) when its TO% reaches 18.3% or greater.
