Santa Clara (10-6, 4-4) vs. No. 1 Gonzaga (22-0, 13-0)
McCarthey Athletic Center, Spokane, Washington; Thursday, 7 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: No. 1 Gonzaga looks for its 18th straight conference win against Santa Clara. Gonzaga’s last WCC loss came against the Brigham Young Cougars 91-78 on Feb. 22, 2020. Santa Clara got past Pepperdine by four in its last outing.
SAVVY VETERANS: Senior leadership could play a big role in the outcome of this game. Drew Timme, Corey Kispert and Joel Ayayi have collectively accounted for 53 percent of Gonzaga’s scoring this season. For Santa Clara, Josip Vrankic, Christian Carlyle and DJ Mitchell have collectively scored 43 percent of the team’s points this season, including 52 percent of all Broncos points over their last five.JUMPING FOR JOSIP: Vrankic has connected on 26.2 percent of the 42 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 6 of 14 over the last five games. He’s also converted 74.2 percent of his free throws this season.
FLOOR SPACING: Santa Clara’s Jalen Williams has attempted 46 3-pointers and connected on 26.1 percent of them, and is 6 for 13 over the last three games.
STREAK STATS: Gonzaga has won its last 10 home games, scoring an average of 94.4 points while giving up 64.4.
DID YOU KNOW: The Gonzaga offense is rated first in the country by scoring 93.4 points per game this year. Santa Clara has only averaged 67 points per game, which ranks 264th.
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