BYU Vs. Santa Clara: Game Day Preview Plus Score Prediction

PROVO, Utah – BYU vs Santa Clara, on the surface, doesn’t sound like a big game, but it’s a big one tonight in college hoops. According to Ken Pomeroy’s FanMatch ratings, BYU-Santa Clara is the third-best game on tonight’s college basketball slate.

This is BYU’s first trip to the Leavey Center in four years. Since the WCC switched from a round-robin 18-game league schedule to 16, BYU and the Broncos have only faced each other once per season. Last year, they didn’t play at all due to COVID pauses.

Santa Clara is currently ranked No. 85 in the NET rankings, making this a valuable “Quad 2” game to add to BYU’s NCAA Tournament resume, which already has the Cougars firmly in the field of 68 as an at-large bid.

BYU vs. Santa Clara

Tip: 9 p.m. (MT)

Location: Leavey Center; Santa Clara, California

TV: ESPNU

Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM – Pregame begins at 8 p.m.)

Series: BYU leads 32-6

Last Meeting: BYU 85, Santa Clara 75 – February 20, 2020, in Provo

BYU is starting to get into a groove

When starting big men Gavin Baxter and Richard Harward were lost due to season-ending injuries, BYU had to retool its look with younger personnel. There was a feeling out phase, but now BYU is getting into a groove.

Freshman forward Fousseyni Traore has been a revelation at the five spot since being inserted into the starting lineup on December 25. BYU is also getting valuable contributions from LSU transfer Seneca Knight, especially on the defensive end. Still, the former All-Mountain West performer at San Jose State is also impacting the offensive end.

Then there’s preseason All-WCC performer Caleb Lohner, who struggled in non-conference play on the offensive end. However, since the loss at Gonzaga, where fans were zeroing in on him, he is starting to find his shot to go along with his dominant play rebounding the basketball.

All the pieces are coming together for BYU, but the question remains, can it come together every night?

Santa Clara is the second biggest team in the WCC, behind only Gonzaga. So that’s where 6-foot-11 big man Atiki Ally Atiki, who has also shown some flashes of his endless potential in recent games, will have to provide a big lift off the bench for BYU.

One of the key reserves for BYU is forward Gideon George; he suffered an ankle tweak early in Tuesday’s practice. As a result, he was not seen during the media observation portion. Pope said he was fine, but it’s something to monitor heading into this matchup.

Can Alex Barcello get free on offense?

Even though senior guard Alex Barcello makes it look easy out on the floor on offense, the man is being covered by two defenders in nearly every possession he’s on the court. With other BYU players trending up on the offensive end, could it make things easier for Barcello?

Barcello only needed to score nine points in BYU’s victory last Saturday against Portland. The super senior guard averages 16.7 points per game and is shooting 46.5% from the field and 46.4% from three.

Santa Clara has a big lineup that includes 6-foot-6 Jalen Williams, which could pose some challenges in the backcourt for Barcello.

What to know about Santa Clara

The Broncos come into this WCC showdown with a 12-7 record overall, 2-2 in West Coast Conference play. This season, Santa Clara’s only losses have come against teams ranked in the top 120 of the KenPom ratings. They beat the teams they are supposed to and lose the games they are supposed to, for the most part.

Santa Clara coach Herb Sendek, who recently captured his 500th win as a head coach in college basketball. Sendek’s Broncos took down TCU and Stanford earlier this season.

Guard Jalen Williams is the star player for SCU and super senior Josip Vrankic. Vrankic took advantage of the extra year given by the COVID-19 pandemic. He had off-season hip surgery, but he continues to play at a high level averaging 14.2 points per game.

Keshawn Justice is a unique matchup at 6-foot-7. He’s almost a 50-40-90 player at 46% from the field, 44.6% from three, and 88.4 at the free-throw line.

Probable Starters

BYU (17-4, 5-1 WCC)

G – Alex Barcello, 6-2, 192, Sr.

G – Te’Jon Lucas, 6-1, 187, Sr.

G – Trevin Knell, 6-5, 197, Jr.

F – Caleb Lohner, 6-8, 235, Soph.

F – Fousseyni Traore, 6-6, 254, Fr.

Santa Clara (12-7, 2-2 WCC)

G – PJ Pipes, 6-2, 190, Sr.

G – Jalen Williams, 6-6, 195, Jr.

F – Keshawn Justice, 6-7, 225, Sr.

F – Josip Vrankic, 6-9, 220, Sr.

C – Parker Braun, 6-10, 215, Jr.

BYU vs Santa Clara Prediction

Fans might be sleeping on this matchup, but BYU coaches are not. Santa Clara poses some challenging matchups with their personnel. This game also has a non-conference feel since the two teams haven’t squared off since 2020. But it’s going to have that postseason intensity you expect from a conference game.

One factor that helps BYU is that the crowd will be light. WCC gyms are typically light, to begin with, and usually filled with BYU fans. Still, there won’t be a hostile crowd to face tonight as only 25% attendance is permitted at the Leavey Center due to Santa Clara COVID restrictions.

Mark Pope believes in seniors doing magical things, that magic has to be on display from BYU’s guard line, especially Alex Barcello. Watch for Barcello to come up with some big shots or big defensive stops in this one to seal a victory for BYU, as I expect this one to come down to the wire.

BYU 69, Santa Clara 68

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper. 

Follow @Mitch_Harper