Halftime Report

Fortunes may be turning around for Santa Clara after losing three in a row. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Pacific 46-31.

If Santa Clara keeps playing like this, they'll bump their record up to 16-10 in no time. On the other hand, Pacific will have to make due with a 6-21 record unless they turn things around (and fast).

Who's Playing

Pacific Tigers @ Santa Clara Broncos

Current Records: Pacific 6-20, Santa Clara 15-10

How To Watch

What to Know

If the oddsmakers' predictions hold true, the near future looks bright for Santa Clara. They and the Pacific Tigers will face off in a West Coast battle at 10:00 p.m. ET on Thursday at Leavey Center. Both teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with three consecutive losses for Santa Clara and 11 for the Tigers.

Last Saturday, the Broncos lost 71-70 to the Dons on a last-minute free throw From Jonathan Mogbo. Santa Clara was up 19 in the first but still couldn't manage to seal the deal.

Despite their defeat, Santa Clara saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Jake Ensminger, who dropped a double-double on ten points and 11 rebounds, was perhaps the best of all.

Meanwhile, Pacific pushed their score all the way to 84 on Saturday, but even that wasn't enough to win. They fell 89-84 to the Toreros. Pacific got off to an early lead (up 13 with 10:59 left in the first quarter), but sadly they weren't able to maintain that momentum.

Like Pacific, they lost despite seeing results from several players. Jalen Brown led the charge by scoring 17 points. Another player making a difference was Moe Odum, who scored 15 points along with seven assists.

The Broncos' loss dropped their record down to 15-10. As for the Tigers, they have not been sharp recently as the team's lost 12 of their last 13 matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-20 record this season.

Thursday's matchup is shaping up to be a scrappy contest: Santa Clara have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 38.3 rebounds per game. It's a different story for Pacific, though, as they've been averaging only 27.1 rebounds per game. Given Santa Clara's sizable advantage in that area, the Tigers will need to find a way to close that gap.

Everything went Santa Clara's way against the Tigers in their previous meeting back in January as the Broncos made off with a 88-69 victory. Will Santa Clara repeat their success, or do the Tigers have a better game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.

Odds

Santa Clara is a big 17-point favorite against Pacific, according to the latest college basketball odds.

The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 17-point spread, and stayed right there.


The over/under is set at 148 points.

See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Santa Clara has won 7 out of their last 10 games against Pacific.

  • Jan 18, 2024 - Santa Clara 88 vs. Pacific 69
  • Jan 28, 2023 - Pacific 95 vs. Santa Clara 89
  • Jan 14, 2023 - Santa Clara 92 vs. Pacific 81
  • Jan 31, 2022 - Santa Clara 81 vs. Pacific 59
  • Jan 12, 2022 - Santa Clara 84 vs. Pacific 70
  • Mar 05, 2021 - Santa Clara 81 vs. Pacific 76
  • Jan 14, 2021 - Pacific 79 vs. Santa Clara 58
  • Feb 22, 2020 - Pacific 87 vs. Santa Clara 74
  • Jan 18, 2020 - Santa Clara 84 vs. Pacific 80
  • Feb 16, 2019 - Santa Clara 64 vs. Pacific 59