Halftime Report
Only one more half stands between Santa Clara and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have jumped out to a quick 37-27 lead against Stanford.
Santa Clara has yet to string together two consecutive wins, but this may be their chance. For now, things are looking good for them.
Who’s Playing
Stanford Cardinal @ Santa Clara Broncos
Current Records: Stanford 5-0, Santa Clara 2-3
How To Watch
What to Know
Stanford has played every game this season on their home court, but they’ll have to hit the road on Saturday. They will venture away from home to challenge the Santa Clara Broncos at 10:00 p.m. ET at Leavey Center. The matchup is expected to be a close one, with the Cardinal going off as just a 1.5-point favorite.
Last Wednesday, Stanford was able to grind out a solid victory over Norfolk State, taking the game 70-63. The 70-point effort marked the Cardinal’s lowest-scoring contest of the season, but in the end it didn’t matter.
Stanford can attribute much of their success to Maxime Raynaud, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and ten rebounds, and Jaylen Blakes, who earned 18 points along with six rebounds and two steals. Raynaud’s evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least 22.4 points. Benny Gealer, on the other hand, was considerably less helpful: he went 0-5 from long range.
Stanford smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in five consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Santa Clara). They steamrolled past UC Riverside 96-54 on Tuesday. With that win, the Broncos brought their scoring average up to 78.8 points per game.
Santa Clara can attribute much of their success to Christoph Tilly, who went 8 for 10 en route to 20 points plus five assists and five rebounds. That’s the most assists Tilly has posted since back in January. Tyeree Bryan was another key player, as he made all 5 shots he took racking up 13 points plus five rebounds.
Stanford’s victory was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-0. As for Santa Clara, they moved to 2-3 with that win, which also ended their three-game losing streak.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Stanford has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 37.6 rebounds per game. However, it’s not like Santa Clara struggles in that department as they’ve been averaging 37.6. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we’ll see if one team can grab an edge.
Stanford came up short against Santa Clara in their previous matchup back in November of 2023, falling 89-77. Can Stanford avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
Stanford is a slight 1.5-point favorite against Santa Clara, 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 1.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 146.5 points.
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Series History
Santa Clara has won 2 out of their last 3 games against Stanford.
- Nov 14, 2023 – Santa Clara 89 vs. Stanford 77
- Nov 12, 2021 – Santa Clara 88 vs. Stanford 72
- Nov 16, 2019 – Stanford 82 vs. Santa Clara 64
