Online Sportsbook Picks – Will Gonzaga Cover The Odds At Home?

The Online Sportsbook is now open for business, as a slew of exciting college basketball games highlight Thursday’s schedule.

Included in the mix, is the Gonzaga Bulldogs, who take the court in a truly importantly conference game.

Santa Clara Broncos (16-11 SU, 9-12-1 ATS) at Gonzaga Bulldogs (17-9 SU, 12-10-1 ATS)

[Off topic: by the way, do you want to get a 55% bonus on your first deposit here at BetOnline? If so JOIN NOW.]

Thursday, February 17: 9:00 p.m.

College Basketball Betting Odds:

Santa Clara: +14

Gonzaga: -14

For the Bulldogs, it’s been a topsy-turvy season, and one that seems likely to end without them winning the WCC for the first time in ages. Gonzaga is just 7-3 in league play, after a three game losing streak that started at Santa Clara back on January 20.

But don’t weep for Mark Few’s club, as they’ll be back in Spokane Thursday and heavily favored in the Online Sportsbook picks. And why wouldn’t they be, as Gonzaga has won four straight games entering this one.

For success Thursday, the Bulldogs will need another big game from guard Steven Gray. With forward Elias Harris struggling with injuries for most of this year, Gonzaga is now “Gray’s team,” and he’s responded by leading the club with 14 points per game. Robert Sacre adds just under 13 points and seven rebounds a game, with Harris contributing about 12 a contest too.

Still, doesn’t the point spread seem a bit high in Thursday’s Online Sportsbook lines? Santa Clara enters this one with a respectable 16-11 record, and it was less than a month ago that they beat Gonzaga in Santa Clara.

If this club is to pick up another win, they’ll need to get the kind of performance they got from guard Kevin Foster in the first game. The 6’2 sophomore from Texas isn’t totally intimidating at first glance, but shredded Gonzaga for 36 points on 11 for 20 shooting the first time these two teams played. Foster averages 19 points a game on the season, and 23 a gamein his last two.

And ultimately we do like Santa Clara to keep cover the betting odds here. However, it’s because of Foster’s teammates more than it is about Foster himself.

You see, in their first game, Gonzaga had a terrible effort, and Foster was just one of five starters to score in double-figures. While we don’t expect that to happen again on Thursday evening, we could see Evan Roquemore (13 points in the first game) or forward Marc Trasolini having a big game too.

Don’t let the box scores fool you, this Santa Clara club is more than just Foster. They are deep, and experienced.

In the end, we expect Gonzaga to win this game, if only because they’re a completely different ball-club than the first time these two got together. But they still aren’t dominating conference foes like usual, and 14 points seems like an awful lot for them to be giving here.

Santa Clara might not have the name cache that Gonzaga does, but after seeing these two teams square off the first time, we know that the Broncos are the Online Sportsbook Pick to make!

College Basketball Online Sportsbook Pick: Santa Clara +14