From the SportsNetwork.com
Belmont (5-4) at Santa Clara (5-7)
The Sports Network
DATE & TIME: Monday, December 29th, 9:00 p.m. (et).FACTS & STATS:
- Site: Leavey Center (5,000) -- Santa Clara, California.
- Television: None.
- Home Record: Belmont 2-1, SCU 3-1.
- Away Record: Belmont 3-3, SCU 2-3.
- Neutral Record: Belmont 0-0, SCU 0-3.
- Conference Record: Belmont 1-1, SCU 0-0.
- Series Record: Series is tied, 1-1.
GAME NOTES: The Santa Clara Broncos host the Belmont Bruins tonight in the opening game of the 42nd annual Cable Car Classic at the Leavey Center. The winner of this game will meet either Texas-El Paso or James Madison for the championship on Tuesday. The Broncos enter the contest on the decline, having dropped each of their last three contests on the heels of a four-game win streak. The most recent of those setbacks came on Tuesday, a 77-69 defeat to Stanford. With the loss, SCU dipped to 5-7 overall and 3-1 at home. As for Belmont, it has played well of late, winning three of its past four games, with the lone loss during that stretch coming at Tennessee (79-77). The team was last in action on December 22nd when it defeated Austin Peay, 72-62, on the road. With the victory, the Bruins improved to 5-4 overall and an even 3-3 away from home. Belmont and Santa Clara have met on two prior occasions, with each team winning once.
On the strength of 39.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc, the Bruins are averaging a solid 77.4 ppg thus far. Alex Renfroe isn't much of a three-point threat, but he does lead the team in scoring (13.9 ppg), rebounding (5.9 rpg) and assists (4.5 apg). Matthew Dotson is next in line at 12.2 ppg and he is the team's top long-range shooter, connecting on 45.5 percent of his tries. Andy Wicke chips in 12.1 ppg, to go with a team-high 25 steals, while Shane Dansby nets 10.0 ppg. Belmont overcame a horrific 5-of-33 performance from long distance by holding Austin Peay to a dismal 30.4 percent shooting effort from the floor in the recent 10-point win. The Bruins also did a good job of getting to the foul line and converting 25-of-40 attempts. Renfroe hit 11- of-18 free throws and he led Belmont with 17 points and six assists.
Santa Clara is holding its foes to a mere 59.4 ppg on the season, in addition to outrebounding them by 5.1 rpg. John Bryant is off to a terrific start for the Broncos and he leads them with his double-double average of 18.5 points and 12.8 caroms per contest. Kevin Foster is a distant second with 10.8 ppg and he is trailed by James Rahon, who chips in 10.0 ppg. In the squad's prior outing, Bryant notched a double-double with 27 points and a career-high 22 rebounds, but his performance went to waste in an eight-point loss to Stanford. The Broncos dominated the boards, 43-27, but that wasn't enough to overcome 22 turnovers.
With a stingy defensive performance and a big game on the boards, expect the Broncos to prevail.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Santa Clara 66, Belmont 62
12/29 10:26:54 ET
Santa Clara vs Belmont Points 62.0 68.1 Pts Against Assists 12.9 12.9 Ast Against Rebounds 33.0 36.6 Reb Against Steals 6.0 8.2 Stl Against Blocked Shots 4.9 3.8 Blk Against FG% .454 .448 FG% Against 3P% .348 .299 3P% Against FT% .749 .668 FT% Against Inverse Matchup Belmont at Santa Clara Points 77.4 59.4 Pts Against Assists 17.8 10.5 Ast Against Rebounds 34.6 27.9 Reb Against Steals 9.6 7.0 Stl Against Blocked Shots 2.7 2.3 Blk Against FG% .443 .422 FG% Against 3P% .391 .351 3P% Against FT% .667 .695 FT% Against Inverse Matchup
from KenPom.com
| Date | Result | Site | Record | Conf | Prediction* | |
| Mon Dec 29 | (130) Santa Clara vs. (74) Belmont (sr) | Home | 5-7 | L, 67-65[65] (38%) | ||
| Projected record** | 15-15 | 8-6 | ||||
| Chance of undefeated record | 0.00% | |||||
*Predictions include predicted pace in [brackets] and chance of winning in (parentheses)
**Projected record is based on chances of winning, and therefore may not conform to the
cumulative game-by-game predictions. This accounts for the unexpected results that
will inevitably happen during the season.
and for entertainment purposes only ...
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| JAMES MADISON @ TEXAS EL PASO | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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