San Diego vs. Santa Clara Prediction and Odds: Fade Toreros Team That Struggles to Score
By Matt De Saro
The San Diego Toreros will look to grow their 4-2 conference record when they head to the Leavey Center to take on the Santa Clara Broncos.
The Broncos are 1-2 in the West Coast Conference to go along with an 11-7 overall record. Santa Clara is coming off a 73-65 loss on the road to Saint Mary’s last week and failed to cover as a seven-point underdog. Meanwhile, the Toreros beat the Pacific Tigers on the road 73-65 and covered as two-point favorites.
On the year, the Toreros are 9-8 ATS overall while the Broncos are 8-8. Here are the odds for the Monday night WCC showdown, courtesy of WynnBET Sportsbook.
San Diego vs. Santa Clara Odds, Spread, and Total
Spread:
- San Diego +9 (-105)
- Santa Clara -9 (-115)
Moneyline:
- San Diego +320
- Santa Clara -225
Total: 142.5 (Over -110/Under -110)
San Diego vs. Santa Clara Prediction and Pick
The Toreros have so far exceeded expectations and look like a threat to make a run at the WCC title. They were projected to be one of the worst teams in the conference and yet they are playing like one of the best. This far into the season their success can’t be passed off as a fluke, especially after their win on the road against Pacific.
This begs the question. Why are the Toreros near double-digit underdog against the sixth-ranked team in the Conference?
To answer that, let's turn to the statistics and look at how these two teams match up.
Right off the bat, there is a problem with the Toreros scoring totals and they rank 290th in points per game. They do rebound decently well but their assist to turnover ratio more than makes up for that and ranks outside of the top 300. I
n fact, the only relevant offensive stats that they rank inside the top 200 in are 3-point shooting (198th) and free throw percentage (175th). Their defense is good and holds opponents to 65.5 points per game. However, they are still getting out-rebounded by most teams and fall outside of the top 100 in opponent shooting percentage from the field.
I have trouble trusting teams that cant score and, despite their overachieving, the Toreros’ offense is awful. I think that the Broncos' offense, which ranks 40th in overall scoring, proves way too much for the Toreros to keep pace with.
Lean: Santa Clara Broncos -9 (-115)