Washington State Cougars vs. Santa Clara Broncos: How to watch NCAA Basketball online, TV channel, live stream info, start time

Halftime Report

Fortunes may be turning around for Santa Clara after losing three in a row. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Washington State 39-23.

Santa Clara came into the game with some extra motivation after the defeat they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We'll see if they're able to flip the script or if it'll just be more of the same.

Who's Playing

Santa Clara Broncos @ Washington State Cougars

Current Records: Santa Clara 7-4, Washington State 8-1

How To Watch

When: Saturday, December 16, 2023 at 2 p.m. ET
Where: Footprint Center -- Phoenix, Arizona
TV: Pac-12 Networks
Follow: CBS Sports App
Online Streaming: Catch select College Basketball matches on Fubo (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)

What to Know

Washington State has enjoyed a five-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will take on the Santa Clara Broncos in a holiday battle at 2:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at at Footprint Center. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Winning is just a little bit easier when you work as a team to post 16 more assists than your opponent, a fact Washington State proved on Sunday. They took down the Tigers 83-65.

Washington State got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Myles Rice out in front who scored 14 points along with seven assists and seven steals. That's the first time this season that Rice grabbed three or more steals. Jaylen Wells was another key contributor, scoring 17 points.

Meanwhile, Santa Clara's recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Wednesday after their third straight loss. They fell just short of the Aggies by a score of 84-82. The game was a 43-43 toss-up at halftime, but Santa Clara was outscored by Utah State in the second.

The loss doesn't tell the whole story though, as several players had good games. One of the most active was Johnny O'Neil, who scored 15 points along with seven rebounds and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Adama Bal, who scored 18 points.

Santa Clara struggled to get the ball back on offense and finished the game with only four offensive rebounds. That's the fewest offensive rebounds they've managed all season.

The Cougars' win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-1. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 83.1 points per game. As for the Broncos, their loss ended a five-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 7-4.

Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as Washington State and Santa Clara are some of the highest scoring teams in the league. Washington State hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 80.4 points per game. However, it's not like Santa Clara struggles in that department as they've been averaging 79.2 points per game. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can run the score up higher.

Washington State was able to grind out a solid victory over Santa Clara in their previous meeting back in March of 2022, winning 63-50. The rematch might be a little tougher for Washington State since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.