San Francisco Dons (18-6) vs. Pepperdine Waves (9-15)
February 8, 2024 11:00 pm EDT
The Line: Pepperdine Waves +8.5; Over/Under: 145.5
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The San Francisco Dons and the Pepperdine Waves meet Thursday in college basketball action from Firestone Fieldhouse. San Francisco is coming off a win over Pacific on Saturday that improved the Dons to 18-6 on the year. As for Pepperdine, they sit at 9-15 overall after a loss to Portland. Let’s get into our San Francisco vs. Pepperdine prediction. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
San Francisco Dons
The Dons have had a solid year thus far and lost just six of their first 21 games. Those defeats came at the hands of Boise State, Grand Canyon, Arizona State, Utah State, Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga. Since then San Francisco has rattled off wins over Portland, San Diego and Pacific in their last trio.
In the Pacific matchup on Saturday, the Dons held a five-point lead in the locker room. San Francisco kept it up in the second half with a 45-44 run and took the victory 79-73. Leading team scorer Marcus Williams finished with 20 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals.
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Pepperdine Waves
Over on the Waves’ side, they were only able to muster nine wins in their first 19 games versus Concordia-Irvine, Lafayette, LIU, Idaho State, UC San Diego, William & Mary, Westcliff, Pacific and San Diego. Pepperdine has since lost to Gonzaga, LMU, Santa Clara, San Diego and Portland in succession.
Matched up against Portland in their Saturday game, the Waves were outscored 52-41 by halftime. Pepperdine got better from there and made a second-half run 48-41 but still lost 93-89. Houston Mallette topped the team with his 28 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Pepperdine Waves Team Facts
- Pepperdine has lost 29 of its last 32 night games against the West Coast Conference.
- Each of the last five night games between San Francisco and Pepperdine have produced a total of 153+ points.
- Pepperdine has lost the first half in 25 of its last 31 night games against the West Coast Conference.
San Francisco Dons Team Facts
- San Francisco has won each of its last eight games at Firestone Fieldhouse.
- Five of San Francisco’s last six night games against the West Coast Conference have produced a total of 149+ points.
- San Francisco has won the first half in 12 of its last 13 games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
ANDREW’S FREE SAN FRANCISCO VS PEPPERDINE PREDICTION
I’ll stick with San Francisco. The Dons are playing well right now and coming off another solid win. San Francisco shot 50.9 percent from the field with a 36-21 rebounding edge (11-2 offensive) versus Pacific in their last outing, but did have 16 turnovers in a sloppy outing. Still, you can’t argue with the Dons’ offense lately; they’ve hit 72 or more points in four straight games (a 3-1 run).
As for Pepperdine, they’re on a rough five-game losing streak but their last two defeats have each come by four points or fewer. The Waves should be more comfortable at home in this one, but I don’t think they’ve got the gas to keep pace with the Dons.
