Colby Dant liked the underdog’s guards and its coach, and that was enough for him to take New Mexico +1.5 against Santa Clara, a 1.5-point favorite when the guys taped on November 12. The game tips Saturday, November 14 at 7:00 PM PT / 10:00 PM ET in Santa Clara, CA. Ryan and Sean laid it at Santa Clara -1.5. The full segment is on the College Basketball Picks: Friday 11/13 & Saturday 11/14 episode.
New Mexico vs Santa Clara Odds
Santa Clara was a 1.5-point favorite over New Mexico when the guys taped on November 12, which puts New Mexico at +1.5.
Our Picks
- Ryan Kramer (@KramerCentric): Santa Clara -1.5
- Sean Green (@SeanTGreen): Santa Clara -1.5
- Colby Dant (@TheColbyD): New Mexico +1.5
Colby went first, and he didn’t knock Santa Clara’s résumé. He pointed out that Herb Sendek got them to the NCAA tournament a year ago and has the program rolling. His problem is the pattern. Sendek’s teams are always talented, he said, but they never quite play up to the talent. They’re solid, just never as good as they could be.
New Mexico gets the opposite grade from him. Colby buys into New Mexico’s coach and called their guards elite, a heavy guard-play team built on the philosophies of an old UC San Diego program. In his words, the coach always overachieves, and that was his whole angle.
The Santa Clara side answered with “not so fast, give me the home team.” The guys also cited a newer KenPom metric, average two-point attempt distance, where they said Santa Clara takes some of the shortest two-point attempts in the nation. The final word was about depth: the guys noted New Mexico plays a short rotation and might have to use guys who haven’t played much this year on the road. The verdict on that scenario was blunt: you don’t win the game. Colby’s pick stayed New Mexico.
Hear the full breakdown on the College Basketball Picks: Friday 11/13 & Saturday 11/14 episode, or listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Watch every game on YouTube, and download the SGPN app at sg.pn/links. See all our College Basketball Picks.
Listen to the full episode
More 11/13&11/14 College Basketball Picks
Appalachian State vs Charlotte
Ohio State vs UConn
