The Gonzaga Bulldogs have won four straight games, while failing to cash in that span with a 0-4 spread mark. Mark Few’s crew heads to Provo for Thursday’s matchup with the Brigham Young Cougars, who have logged a 0-3 ATS slide in their last trio of home contests.
Sportsbooks opened the NCAA basketball odds with Brigham Young as a 2.5-point favorite, while first setting the total at 146.5. Early sports betting action on the Cougars and over lifted the numbers to three and 147.5, respectively.
Zags pull away in PortlandGonzaga's latest victory came in last Thursday's 74-62 triumph as a 15-point road favorite against the Portland Pilots. The Bulldogs struggled from three-point land, hitting 1-of-11, while outrebounding Portland, 30-24.
Bulldogs forward Elias Harris notched 17 points and a team-high 10 boards, finishing with his second straight double-double. Harris' mates Gary Bell and Robert Sacre united for 34 points, adding a pair of assists and blocks, respectively.
The contest's combined 136 points dipped below the total of 141, bringing the under to 8-1 in the Bulldogs last nine games. Gonzaga sank 25-of-31 free throws, while allowing Portland to connect 43.1 percent of its field buckets.
Cougars crushed at homeBrigham Young saw a two-game winning streak end with Saturday's 80-66 setback as a 2.5-point home favorite against the St. Mary s Gaels. The Cougars were lit up for 55.8 percent field shooting by St. Mary's, having no answer for Gaels forward Brad Waldrow's 8-for-10 night.
Cougars mates Noah Hartsock and Matt Carlino notched 15 points each, uniting for six boards. Hartsock hit 5-of-5 at the foul line, while Carlino added three assists.
The battle's combined 146 points ducked below the total of 152, making the under 7-2 in the Cougars last nine contests. BYU was held to 2-of-13 from beyond the arc, while edged out in rebounds, 32-27.
Back the ‘over in this spotThursday's tip is scheduled for 11 p.m. (ET), with ESPN2 providing the national television coverage.
This college basketball betting handicapper is backing the over, looking to fade the recent trends of both squads. The nationally-televised spot should have the pair of foes letting it all hang out, with BYU (79 PPG) and Gonzaga (73.9 PPG) ranked first and fourth in the WCC's scoring, respectively.
Last March saw the rivals play a high-octane affair, with Brigham Young coming away with an 89-67 win. The Cougars hit 52.5 percent from the field, including a sizable 14-of-28 beyond the arc.
Gonzaga and BYU have both drained their share of three-point buckets, with the
Bulldogs ranked first notching 37.4 percent and the Cougars not far behind at 35.9 percent. The rivals could both run and gun here, with Brigham Young leading the conference in assists (17.9 APG) and the Bulldogs ranked atop their rivals in offensive rebounds (11.7 ORPG).
The over is 6-1 in BYU s last seven games that followed a double-digit home loss, while cashing at 4-1 in Gonzaga's last five road spots against teams with winning home records. Look for another over ticket to get the money here, with the recent surge of cashed under wagers involving these squads making oddsmakers fearful of posting a high number.