Game Information
Saint Louis Billikens (5-0) vs Santa Clara Broncos (6-0)
Time: 6pm CT Thursday
How to watch: CBS Sports Network
DraftKings Odds
Spread: SLU -1.5
Total: 158.5
KenPom Projection
SLU 80, Santa Clara 79
The Saint Louis University Billikens play arguably their most important game of the non-conference schedule against the Santa Clara Broncos tonight on Thanksgiving at a neutral site in Palm Desert, California.
SLU is #50 in the KenPom rankings with Santa Clara close behind at #53, making this a critical game for the Billikens in their efforts to build a resume for NCAA Tournament consideration.
Santa Clara is a very good team. The Broncos are tough defensively, ranking 17th in the country in 2-point field goal percentage defense and 44th in 3-point field goal percentage defense. They are also incredibly dangerous on the offensive boards, as Santa Clara is 2nd in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage.
But SLU should be able to counter Santa Clara’s strengths. The Billikens are an elite offensive team - and that is not an exaggeration. SLU is 3rd in the country in 2-point field goal percentage (64.5%) and 29th in 3-point field goal percentage (39.3%). The Bills also have been very strong on the boards, ranking in the top 50 in both offensive and defensive rebounding percentage.
And in a game with a close spread, free throws will likely be crucial - and I want to be on the team that is nails from the charity stripe.
SLU is the 2nd-best free throw shooting team in the country at 83.2%, while Santa Clara is a dismal 322nd out of 365 Division One teams shooting only 64.9%.
I believe tonight is the night the Billikens show the country they're for real. I think they’ve been waiting for this opportunity, and I expect them to be too much for the Broncos. This could be a special season down at Chaifetz Arena, and I think the Billiken bandwagon will be starting to fill up after an impressive performance tonight.
Pick: SLU -1.5 at -110 on DraftKings (bet to -3)
Eric Sontag hosts Domesticated Gamblers every Wednesday night on the STL Sports Central YouTube channel. Follow him on X @GamblingDads, and click here for his daily picks on all of our St. Louis area sports teams. Get Eric's picks for all sports by following him in the Action Network app with the username "esontag". Disclaimer