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We've got another exciting West Coast matchup on Thursday's college basketball schedule as the Santa Clara Broncos will host the Loyola Marymount Lions. Santa Clara is 17-10 overall and 10-3 at home, while LMU is 15-12 overall and 3-7 on the road. The Broncos have won five of the last six meetings, however, LMU prevailed, 57-54, in their last matchup on Jan. 16. Santa Clara is 14-13 against the spread (ATS) in the 2024-25 college basketball season, while LMU is 11-14-1 versus the line.

Tipoff is at 11 p.m. ET at the Leavey Center in Santa Clara, Calif. The Broncos are favored by 11.5 points in the latest Santa Clara vs. Loyola Marymount odds, per SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 148.5 points. Before entering any Loyola Marymount vs. Santa Clara picks, you'll want to see the NCAA Basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.

The model simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters Week 16 of the 2024-25 season on a 213-158 betting roll (+1675) on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to 2023. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.

The model has set its sights on LMU vs. Santa Clara. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball betting lines for Santa Clara vs. Loyola Marymount:

  • Santa Clara vs. LMU spread: Santa Clara -11.5
  • Santa Clara vs. LMU over/under: 148.5 points
  • Santa Clara vs. LMU money line: Santa Clara: -800, LMU: +547
  • Santa Clara vs. LMU picks: See picks at SportsLine
  • Santa Clara vs. LMU streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)

Why Santa Clara can cover

Santa Clara is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on its shoulder considering Saint Mary's just ended the team's three-game winning streak last Tuesday. The Broncos fell 73-64 to the Gaels, but the team still had its share of impressive performances. One came from Johnny O'Neil, who had 18 points plus six rebounds and two steals, while Jake Ensminger was another key player, going 5 for 9 en route to 13 points.

The Broncos have the clear spread advantage in this matchup as they have covered in four straight. Meanwhile, LMU has dropped back-to-back ATS and has failed to cover in three of its last four. Santa Clara also has the higher octane offense as it ranks second in the WCC in points per game while leading the conference in 2-point percentage, 3-point percentage and 3-pointers made per game. With seven players averaging over 7.0 points per game, Santa Clara also has great depth, with six of those seven shooting at least 35% from downtown. See which team to back at SportsLine.

Why Loyola Marymount can cover

Meanwhile, LMU took an 89-78 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Portland Pilots on Saturday. However, Caleb Stone-Carrawell led LMU with 18 points, while Jevon Porter put forth a solid showing with 16 points plus six rebounds and two steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Will Johnston, who went 8 for 15 en route to 17 points.

Those three, along with Alex Merkviladze, all average in double-figures, so Loyola Marymount has multiple options to lean on. Porter, a 6-foot-11 transfer from Pepperdine, controls the paint as he ranks fourth in the West Coast Conference in blocks (1.3) and fifth in rebounds (7.5). LMU also does a great job defending the perimeter, as it ranks third in the WCC in both 3-pointers allowed per game and 3-point percentage given up. The Lions have really put the clamps on outside shooters in recent games as they've held their last seven opponents to just 27% from deep. See which team to back at SportsLine.

How to make Santa Clara vs. Loyola Marymount picks

The model has simulated Loyola Marymount vs. Santa Clara 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Under, projecting 148 combined points, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Santa Clara vs. LMU, and which side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the LMU vs. Santa Clara spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up more than $1,600 on its college basketball picks dating back to 2023, and find out.