The sports bettors will have a thrilling Saturday with a ton of college basketball games on the schedule, so I bring you the best betting pick and odds for the late West Coast Conference clash between the San Francisco Dons and Gonzaga Bulldogs.
The tip-off is set at 10:00 PM ET, as the Bulldogs look for their 10th straight win of the season and 20th straight over the Dons. Gonzaga opened as a massive double-digit fave on Sugarhouse Sportsbook, so let’s take a closer look.
San Francisco started its conference play with a win
The Dons are 7-4 on the season following a 70-62 home victory over the San Diego Toreros in their opening clash of the West Coast Conference play. Still, the Dons failed to cover a 13-point spread, suffering their fourth straight ATS loss.
Back in December, San Francisco dropped two straight games at California 72-70 and Oregon 74-64. The Dons are No. 77 in the KenPom rankings, scoring 106.8 points per 100 possessions (69th in the country) and yielding 96.2 in a return (81st).
San Francisco mostly leans on senior guard Jamaree Bouyea and junior guard Khalil Shabazz. Bouyea spends 31.5 minutes on the floor per game, averaging 18.0 points, 3.3 boards, and 4.1 assists, while Shabazz adds 15.0 points a night. Belarus forward Dzmitry Ryuny is another interesting player on the Dons’ roster, and he’s posting 10.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
The Bulldogs have no mercy, looking for another lopsided score
The Zags open their West Coast season here after going 9-0 in the non-conference play. They are No. 1 in both AP Top 25 Poll and KenPom rankings, posting the second-best offensive rating (121.8) and the 19th-best defensive rating in the country (90.6).
Gonzaga already has four wins over the top-25 teams on its tally. Back on December 26, the Zags dismantled No. 16 Virginia Cavaliers 98-75. Since then, they’ve easily outlasted Northern Arizona 88-58 and Dixie State 112-67.
Senior forward Corey Kispert enjoys a wonderful season, averaging 21.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. He shoots 61.6% from the field and 51.7% from beyond the 3-point line. Sophomore F Drew Timme has 19.3 points and 6.9 boards per game, while freshman G Jalen Suggs averages 15.1 points and 5.9 assists a night.
Trends:
San Francisco:
- 1-6 ATS in the last seven road games against Gonzaga
- 0-4 ATS in the last four games overall
Gonzaga:
- 7-4 ATS in the last 11 games against San Francisco
- 5-1 ATS in the last six games played in January
The Winner Prediction
The Zags have owned the Dons lately, winning their last 19 encounters and covering ten times in the process. Gonzaga is 7-0 SU and 6-1 ATS in its last seven home games against the Dons and considering their current form, I don’t want to wager against the top-ranked team in the country.
The Bulldogs head coach Mark Few has so many talented players at his disposal. They should have learned a valuable lesson from their previous encounter with the Dons when the Zags barely escaped with a four-point victory even though they were listed as 12.5-point favorites at the neutral site.
Pick: Take Gonzaga -19.5 at -110
The Total:
The over is 12-3 in the last 15 encounters between the Dons and Zags, and it is 16-4 in Gonzaga’s previous 20 games overall. The Bulldogs look completely unstoppable on the offensive end while playing at a furious pace of 77.4 possessions per 40 minutes, so I’m betting on the over without further due.
San Francisco is not an elite defensive team, so I don’t see them slowing down the Zags. Still, the Dons could put some serious numbers on the scoreboard, too.
Pick: Go over 162.5 points at -110