Gonzaga @ Santa Clara preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 16, 2020 ) Santa Clara 54, Gonzaga 104

Second-ranked Gonzaga looks to rout Santa Clara for the second time in two weeks when it visits the Broncos on Thursday in West Coast Conference play. The Bulldogs steamrolled Santa Clara 104-54 at home on Jan. 16 for their 20th consecutive win in the series.

Gonzaga thoroughly dominated the contest in its last visit to Santa Clara as it recorded a 98-39 win last season. The Bulldogs enter on a hot streak after winning their last five games by an average of 35 points, and they had six players score in double figures in last Saturday's 92-59 home win over Pacific. "We're just balanced," Gonzaga coach Mark Few told reporters afterward. "We don't just have one guy we go to. They understand that and have complete buy-in and really enjoy moving it around and finding each other." Santa Clara is coming off a 65-52 road win over San Diego last Saturday that allowed it to eclipse last season's victory total.

TIME: 10:30 p.m. ET. TV: CBS Sports Network

ABOUT GONZAGA (21-1, 7-0 WCC): Senior forward Killian Tillie has scored 20 or more points in four of his last seven games and has matched his season high of 22 points in each of the past two contests. Tillie made 9-of-11 shots against Pacific, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range, and also contributed eight rebounds and matched his career best of four blocks. Tillie's 13.3 scoring average is third best on the Bulldogs behind sophomore forward Filip Petrusev (16.1) and junior forward Corey Kispert (14.5) while the team continues to lead the nation in scoring at 89 points per game.

ABOUT SANTA CLARA (17-5, 4-3): Junior forward Josip Vrankic had 20 points and nine rebounds in the victory over San Diego to become the 35th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. Vrankic (1,003) is on a nice roll as he scored a career-best 33 points on 12-of-18 shooting in a 90-86 overtime loss to Pepperdine on Jan. 23. Vrankic is averaging 17.4 points in WCC play to increase his average to 12.1, second on the team behind sophomore guard Trey Wertz (12.8).

TIP-INS

1. Gonzaga has won by 43 or more points in four of the past five meetings with Santa Clara.

2. Broncos sophomore F Guglielmo Caruso (right leg) will miss his eighth consecutive game.

3. The Bulldogs have topped 90 points on 12 occasions this season.

PREDICTION: Gonzaga 94, Santa Clara 60