Halftime Report
After a tough loss on the road their last time out, Santa Clara looks much better today on their home court. They have jumped out to a quick 39-29 lead against N. Dak. State.
If Santa Clara keeps playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 2-1 in no time. On the other hand, N. Dak. State will have to make due with a 1-2 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
N. Dak. State Bison @ Santa Clara Broncos
Current Records: N. Dak. State 1-1, Santa Clara 1-1
How To Watch
What to Know
Bison fans better hope the squad plays one heck of a game on Wednesday as the odds are decidedly against them. They are taking a road trip to face off against the Santa Clara Broncos at 10:00 p.m. ET at Leavey Center. Given that both suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this match.
Last Monday, N. Dak. State came up short against Cal-Baker. and fell 86-81. The Bison have now taken an ‘L’ in back-to-back games.
Meanwhile, the point spread may have favored Santa Clara last Friday, but the final result did not. They fell 81-74 to Arizona State.
Santa Clara’s loss shouldn’t obscure the performances of Carlos Stewart, who had 18 points along with five rebounds and five steals, and Elijah Mahi, who went 8 for 15 en route to 19 points plus three steals. Stewart had some trouble finding his footing against Saint Louis last Monday, so this was a step in the right direction. Johnny O’Neil, on the other hand, was considerably less helpful: he went 0-5 from beyond the arc.
N. Dak. State’s defeat dropped their record down to 1-1. As for Santa Clara, their loss dropped their record down to an identical 1-1.
Keep an eye on the arc in Wednesday’s contest: N. Dak. State has made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having averaged 11 threes per game. However, it’s not like Santa Clara struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 11. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Odds
Santa Clara is a big 16.5-point favorite against N. Dak. State, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The line has drifted a bit towards the Broncos, as the game opened with the Broncos as a 14.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 153.5 points.
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