A rivalry in the state of Washington takes place as the Washington Huskies visit the Gonzaga Bulldogs at 9:00 p.m. ET Friday at the McCarthey Athletic Center. The Bulldogs have a 69-game home winning streak in the MAC and hope to extend that. It is the marquee event of 10 NCAA basketball games today.
While the game doesn’t count in the conference college basketball standings, it will go a long way in a potential at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament in March. It’s been a challenging NCAAB schedule so far for the Bulldogs, who are 6-3.
A look into the Washington Huskies standings shows they are 7-2 with a Pac-12 win already and looking to build off that momentum.
Washington Huskies vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs Information
After taking a two-season hiatus, the rivalry has been renewed. The Huskies and Bulldogs met in five straight seasons from 2015-19, and Gonzaga won each game. However, the Huskies covered a 15.5-point spread in 2018 in a two-point loss at the MAC.
That’s the same calendar year that the Bulldogs last lost at home. Though history suggests Washington vs Gonzaga best bets go the Bulldogs’ way most years.
Last Game Record
Despite being home underdogs, the Huskies beat Colorado 73-63 on Dec. 4 to open up Pac-12 play on top. Washington shot an efficient 50% from the floor and 88% from the free-throw line. Cole Bajema and Braxton Meah each had 16 points to lead all scorers.
Gonzaga has been one of the best NCAA basketball teams in the country over the past decade, contending for Final Fours. The Bulldogs have had a challenging schedule but took an unsuspecting challenge from Kent State in a 73-66 Gonzaga win at the MAC in a game in which the Bulldogs were 15.5-point favorites.
Drew Timme played like an All-American with 29 points, 17 rebounds, and four assists and was the difference maker. He powered Gonzaga to a 43-23 rebounding edge, which was enough to secure the victory.
Washington Huskies vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs Analysis
This is going to be a game where each team’s strength takes on a big challenge against the other team’s strength.
Unfortunately for Washington, it hasn’t had the college basketball injury report on its side. It lost center Franck Kepnang to a knee injury for the season on Dec. 3. Guard Noah Williams (knee) and forward Samuel Ariyibi (ankle) have been out indefinitely since Nov. 29.
The Huskies have been great on the defensive end this season. They are 77th in holding teams to 63.9 points per game. They are 53rd in defensive efficiency, limiting teams to 39.3% on field goal attempts. They held teams to 26.1% on 3-point shots, which is the 12th-best defensive rate in the country.
Offensively has been a struggle. The Huskies score 70.1 points per game, which ranks 230th and convert 44.4% of field goal attempts (193rd) and 32.7% of 3-point shots (347th). They are 51st in making 75.1% of free throw attempts, so a physical game benefits them.
At 7 foot 1, Mesh has a chance to negate Timme in the post, especially if this game does not turn into a track meet. It is Keion Brooks who leads the team at 16.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, with Bajema at 10.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per contest, followed by Meah at 9.0 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. He’s seen an increased role since Kepnang went out with an injury, but both were in a rotation prior to that.
Gonzaga is 47th in scoring 80.2 points per game. The Bulldogs are highly efficient offensively, too. They make 49.3% of field goal attempts to rank 31st in offensive efficiency. They are 44th in making 38.4% of 3-point shots. However, they are only 70.8% free throw shooters, which ranks 162nd.
Defensively they’ve had struggles due to faster tempos. The Bulldogs allow 74.1 points per game, which ranks 297th. Teams convert 43.0% of field goal attempts, which ranks 197th defensively, and 32.7% of 3-point shots, which ranks 182nd.
Gonzaga has been one of the better rebounding teams, ranking 66th in pulling down 35.4 boards per game and 80th defensively in allowing teams to secure 29.0 per contest.
Timme is one of the best college basketball players in the country but has been negated by teams who have a legitimate big man to battle him. He is averaging 19.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game this season.
A big guard in Julian Strawther is averaging 13.7 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. Rasir Bolton is scoring 11.7 points per game, and fellow guard Nolan Hickman leads the team at 4.0 assists per game.
Odds Breakdown
NCAAB odds show Gonzaga is favored by 16.5 points with an over/under of 148.5. The Huskies are longshots at +1000 on the moneyline, while Gonzaga is -1399.
In the previous five meetings, Gonzaga is 5-0 straight up and 4-1 against the spread. The over is 3-2 in those games, including over 144 last season, the lowest total amongst the teams by 12.5 points during that stretch.
Washington Huskies
Washington is 5-4 against the spread this season, and that is its same record on over/unders. They are 2-0 against the spread as underdogs, covering as high as +10.5 and as lost as +1 last time out. The Huskies are 0-1 on over/unders in true road games and 5-3 at night.
Gonzaga Bulldogs
Making Gonzaga Bulldogs picks has not been a profitable venture. They are 2-7 against the spread and 5-4 on over/unders this season. The Bulldogs are 1-5 against the spread when favored, and it has been a wide range of points that they have been favored by. They are also 1-1 on over/unders at home and 3-3 at night.
Washington Huskies vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs Betting Pick and Prediction
The Washington vs Gonzaga best bets will come down to the belief in the 7-1 Meah to negate Timme’s impact. It’s going to be a battle, and Gonzaga has proven shaky at times this year and not its typical dominant self.
Against the spread
When making your Washington vs Gonzaga best bets, take Washington +15.5 because of the belief that Timme will have issues on the offensive end.
Over/under
We’ll go over 148.5 points since this rivalry hasn’t hit that total in a long time.
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