Pepperdine vs Santa Clara Prediction 1/2/2026 Today’s College Basketball Picks

The Pepperdine Waves and the Santa Clara Broncos meet Friday in college basketball action from Leavey Center. Here’s a Pepperdine vs Santa Clara prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Pepperdine vs Santa Clara pick. We will examine the recent form and player performances for both teams, as well as the recent betting trends and streaks pertaining to this matchup. As we conclude, we will tie it all together with a summary that produces a sensible pick for a favorable betting outcome in this game.

Pepperdine Waves Betting Preview

Pepperdine won three of their first five games, taking out Life Pacific, Lincoln University CA and New Orleans. After losses to Stephen F. Austin, Fresno State, Cal State Fullerton, Abilene Christian and Vermont came a 2-2 run with wins over CSU Bakersfield and Rice among losses to Long Beach State and Gonzaga. That would give the Waves a 5-9 record in their first 14 outings of the year.

In the Saint Mary’s game on Tuesday the Waves were looking up at a 34-25 deficit by the break. Pepperdine hit a 38-20 disadvantage the rest of the way and took the loss in the end 72-45. Nobody on the team managed to reach double-figures. Pepperdine’s Styles Phipps had eight points with five boards and three assists while Aaron Clark added seven points.

Santa Clara Broncos Betting Preview

Over on the Santa Clara side, they beat Humboldt State, McNeese, Xavier, Nevada, Idaho State and Louisiana before a loss to Saint Louis. The next seven were a 4-3 run with wins over Minnesota, Utah Tech, North Texas and Oregon State among losses to New Mexico, Arizona State and Loyola Chicago. That would give the Broncos a 10-4 run in their opening 14 games of the season.

Matched up against Portland on Tuesday the Broncos were down 44-40 by the break. Santa Clara hit a 52-41 run the rest of the way however, leading to a 92-85 win in the end. Tops in scoring was Elijah Mahi with 22 points and Brenton Knapper added 16 points with three assists. Christian Hammond put up 14 points with five assists and three boards as well.

Pepperdine Waves @ Santa Clara Broncos Betting Trends: January 2, 2026

Why the Santa Clara Broncos will win

• Santa Clara has won each of its last nine Friday night games.
• Pepperdine has lost nine of its last 10 games at Leavey Center against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• Pepperdine has lost the first half in each of its last seven games against the West Coast Conference.

Why the Pepperdine Waves will win

• Santa Clara has lost the first half in each of its last three night games against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Pepperdine vs Santa Clara Prediction

I’ll stick with Santa Clara. The Broncos put up a pretty solid win over Portland in their last appearance, shooting 54 percent from the field with 14-of-17 (82.4 percent) from the line and a 25-21 rebounding edge. Santa Clara had 21 team assists and a couple of blocks alongside 12 turnovers in that one. that makes 78 or more points in three straight games (a 2-1 run) and a combined 194 points over the last pair.

As for Pepperdine they could only muster a lowly 45 points in their latest loss to a good Saint Mary’s team. The Waves shot just 34.5 percent from the field in that one with 4-of-23 (17.4 percent) from outside and a 33-21 disadvantage on the boards. Pepperdine has been below 57 points in consecutive games now, but to be fair they’ve played a couple of tough teams in that pair.

Andrew Jett's Pick: Santa Clara Broncos -19.5