Santa Clara vs Sam Houston Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for March 15 NIT Game (Back the Underdog at Leavey Center)

Santa Clara vs Sam Houston Game Info

• 2022-23 NCAA Basketball NIT Game
• Santa Clara (23-9) vs. Sam Houston (25-7)
• Date: Wednesday, March 15, 2023
• Time: 9:00 PM ET
• Venue: Leavey Center -- Santa Clara, California
• Coverage: ESPN+

The 2023 NIT continues on Wednesday with a first-round matchup between the Sam Houston State Bearkats and Santa Clara Broncos. Sam Houston fell short of making the NCAA Tournament with a 25-7 record (14-4 conference), while Santa Clara did not make the field with a 23-9 record (11-5 conference).

Santa Clara vs Sam Houston Odds & Spread

• All college basketball betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: STCLAR: (-196) | SAMHOU: (+162)
• Spread: STCLAR: -4.5 (-110) | SAMHOU: +4.5 (-110)
• Total: 142.5 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

Santa Clara enters this contest as a moderate favorite on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 9 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 142.5 points, which is about average compared to Wednesday's projected totals.

Santa Clara vs Sam Houston Betting Trends

• Santa Clara is 16-15-0 against the spread this year.
• The Broncos are 4-11 as 3.5-point favorites or more.
• There have been 15 Santa Clara's games (out of 31) that hit the over this year.
• Sam Houston is 17-11-0 against the spread this year.
• The Bearkats have two wins ATS (2-2) as a 3.5-point underdog or more this year.
• Sam Houston has played 28 games this year, and 12 of them have hit the over.

Santa Clara Rank	Santa Clara AVG		Sam Houston AVG	Sam Houston Rank
48th	77.5	Points Scored	73.2	138th
280th	73.6	Points Allowed	58.9	4th
28th	35.1	Rebounds	34.2	47th
123rd	9.1	Off. Rebounds	10.2	43rd
75th	8.3	3pt Made	8.3	75th
109th	14.0	Assists	13.8	121st
185th	11.9	Turnovers	12.5	245th

Santa Clara vs Sam Houston Prediction & Pick

It's worth noting what Brandon Podziemski did with Santa Clara's season on the line in the WCC quarterfinals. The sophomore logged 22 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists in the double overtime loss. He is the focal point of a Broncos offense that tallies 78.0 points per game (No. 29 in NCAA).

The Broncos run into one of the most underrated defenses in the country on Wednesday, though. Sam Houston State ranks ninth in defensive efficiency, 10th in points allowed per game (61.4) and 22nd in opponent shooting percentage (40.6%). The Bearkats know how to shut down offenses.

Sam Houston State has won six of its last seven away games, so back the Bearkats in an upset.

Final Score Prediction: Santa Clara: 70 | Sam Houston State: 73

Santa Clara vs Sam Houston Best Bet

Bettors hesitant to back Sam Houston as a +162 moneyline underdog can feel more comfortable shifting gears to the 4.5-point spread here. The Bearkats are 6-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last seven games overall as well as 9-1-1 ATS in their last 11 games against teams with a winning record.

On the other side, Santa Clara is 1-4 ATS in its last five home games overall and 3-12 ATS in its last 15 home games on a Wednesday. The Leavey Center will surely be rocking tonight, but that hasn't made much of a difference as of late. Look for Sam Houston State to come to town hungry for a victory.

Bet: Sam Houston State Bearkats +4.5 (-110)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.