The Santa Clara Broncos (1-0) face off against the Arizona State Sun Devils (1-0) in a neutral-site game in Henderson, NV. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. ET on FloSports at Lee's Family Forum.
The Broncos beat Saint Louis in their opener 85-78 at the Stanford Pentagon, while the Sun Devils beat Idaho State 55-48.
The Broncos are favored by 4.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -205. The total is also set at 151 points.
Here’s my Santa Clara vs Arizona State predictions and college basketball picks for Friday.
Santa Clara vs Arizona State Prediction
My Pick: Santa Clara -4.5
My Santa Clara vs. Arizona State best bet is on the Broncos spread, with the best odds currently available at Caesars. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Santa Clara vs Arizona State Odds
| Santa Clara Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4.5 -112 | 151 112o/108u | -205 |
| Arizona State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4.5 -108 | 151 112o/108u | +170 |
- Santa Clara vs Arizona State spread: Santa Clara -4.5
- Santa Clara vs Arizona State over/under: 151 points
- Santa Clara vs Arizona State moneyline: Santa Clara -205, Arizona State +170
- Santa Clara vs Arizona State best bet: Santa Clara -4.5
Spread
I like Santa Clara on the spread, but I wouldn't take it higher than 5.
Moneyline
I like Santa Clara to win this game, but the value isn't good enough on the moneyline.
Over/Under
I'm passing on the total.
My Pick: Santa Clara -4.5
Santa Clara vs Arizona State College Basketball Betting Preview
I'm all in on Santa Clara this season.
Gonzaga, which is the rightful favorite in the WCC, looked like one of the best teams in the country in its victory over Baylor. Saint Mary's, which won the league last year, will always be competitive with Randy Bennett roaming the sidelines.
But Santa Clara should not be forgotten out.
Herb Sendek has guided the Broncos to three straight 20+ win seasons, and this is the best roster he's had.
Santa Clara has two potential future pros in Adama-Alpha Bal and Christoph Tilly. They also have veteran Carlos Stewart Jr. and Tyeree Bryan in the backcourt, and underrated Elijah Mahi, Johnny O'Neil and Camaron Tongue (18 points vs. Saint Louis) manning the wing and frontcourt.
The Broncos are deep, long, experienced and well-coached, which gives them a legit chance to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
One way they are going to achieve that goal is by racking up big wins in the non-conference. They already have one that will go a long way (Saint Louis), but a neutral-site victory against a power-conference squad would be another step in the right direction (even if Arizona State isn't projected to finish near the top of the Big 12) .
Meanwhile, Bobby Hurley has massively underachieved with the talent he's had in Tempe; the Sun Devils have reached three NCAA Tournament and haven't advanced past the Round of 64.
The Sun Devils only have one of their top five scorers back (Adam Miller) and are essentially breaking in an entirely new roster.
There's some talent here — Alston Mason played at Oklahoma, BJ Freeman averaged over 21 points per game at Milwaukee last season and freshman Joson Sanon was originally an Arizona commit — but the early results didn't look promising in game one.
The Sun Devils were on the ropes in the second half against Idaho State — yes, the same Idaho State that is projected to finish eighth in the Big Sky. They scored 55 points in the game, committed 14 turnovers and shot just 29% from 3.
I know it's one game, but Arizona State doesn't have the level of cohesion and depth that Santa Clara has right now. They don't have a star player like Bal and the Broncos have a major advantage in the frontcourt. Plus, Sendek is a much better coach than Hurley.
The Broncos will grab another big neutral-site win.
