Santa Clara Broncos vs. BYU Cougars, 2/20/20 Prediction & Odds

Broncos vs. Cougars Prediction

The 23rd-ranked Brigham Young Cougars are in action tonight at home as they face the Santa Clara Broncos. Will the contest stay under the high projected total?

Game Snapshot

655 Santa Clara Broncos at 656 Brigham Young Cougars

Thursday, February 20, 2020

Marriott Center at 9PM ET

TV: CBSSN

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Public Betting Information

According to oddsmakers, the Cougars are a 15-point favorite on the spread line. The over-under sits at 153.5 points. As of Thursday morning, 53 percent of public bets are siding with visiting Santa Clara. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for the latest info.

Broncos drop third straight

Santa Clara lost 65-59 Saturday at home versus Loyola Marymount to drop to 18-9 overall and 5-7 in the West Coast Conference. The Broncos were outscored 37-32 in the second half of the defeat. Josip Vrankic paced Santa Clara with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting plus 5-of-5 at the free throw line. He also contributed six rebounds and three assists. Jalen Williams tallied 14 points, four dimes and two steals. Jaden Bediako added 12 points, 11 boards and five blocked shots.

Cougars edge Toreros

BYU held on for a 72-71 victory Saturday night at San Diego to improve to 21-7 overall and 10-3 in conference action. The Cougars outscored the Toreros 40-38 in the second half after trailing by one at the break. Yoell Childs paced Brigham Young with 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting plus 1-of-2 at the charity stripe. He also pulled down seven rebounds. T.J. Haws also had a big game with 17 points, 10 assists, four boards and two steals. Zac Seljaas added 10 points in 20 minutes off the bench.

College Basketball Betting Trends

San Diego

The over is 9-3 in the last 12 Broncos road games. The over is 4-1 in the last five Santa Clara Thursday games.

BYU

The over is 5-0 in the last five Cougars games as a home favorite. The under is 4-1 in the last five BYU games after an ATS loss.

Prediction:

The Cougars are very talented and efficient offensively, but their defense has taken a nice step forward lately and now face a Broncos offense that is not all that efficient. While Santa Clara plays at a fast pace, I think we'll see a lot of missteps and poor possessions in this one that keeps its total points under what is expected. Look for Brigham Young to take its foot off the pedal in the second half to keep the total under the projection.

 

COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: SANTA CLARA BRONCOS/BYU COUGARS UNDER 153.5