With the college basketball season heading into its final few weeks, we have a rather clear idea of which teams are likely to be in the running for a national championship. That said, there is still time for a dark horse to emerge, with those teams very often making a run at this late stage of the season, a run that gets them off the bubble and into the bracket. It’s also a time of year when the teams at the top of the standings switch to a higher gear or start to tighten up a little. We often see ranked teams fall to lesser foes at this point, with some starting to look ahead to March Madness and a potential national championship run.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs certainly need to be considered one of the favorites, and while they have the potential to go unbeaten the rest of the way, they do have some possible banana peels, including a trip to LMU on Thursday night for a game that the Bulldogs will start as a 20 ½ point favorite. The point total for this one has been set at 140.
Gonzaga vs Loyola Marymount NCAAB Odds & Game Info
- When: Thursday, February 14 at 11 PM EST
- Where: Gersten Pavilion, LA
- TV: ESPN2
- NCAAB Odds: Gonzaga Bulldogs -20.5 (Total 139)
Why bet on the Gonzaga Bulldogs?
Other than a minor blip in the middle of the season, the Gonzaga Bulldogs have looked like the real deal. They got the season started by reeling off wins in each of their first 9 games before running into a wall that saw them lose back to back games to ranked opponents. While that may be viewed as a bad omen, let’s not forget that one of those early season wins came against Duke, who is arguably the best team in college basketball right now.
Since those losses, though, the Bulldogs have been magnificent, winning 14 in a row, which includes winning all 10 games they have played against WCC foes. They are in complete control of the conference now, and head into this game having covered in 4 of the 5 games in which they hit the road as the favorite.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 91.36
- Field Goal Percentage: 52.81
- Three-Point Percentage: 37.54
- Free Throw Percentage: 75.74
- Total Rebounds: 39.96
- Total Score: 65.32
- Field Goal Percentage: 38.34
- Three-Point Percentage: 29.94
- Free Throw Percentage: 69.29
- Total Rebounds: 33.12
Why bet on the Loyola Marymount Lions?
While the LMU Lions can’t be too disappointed with their 17-8 season record, they will certainly not be pleased with how they have performed in WCC Conference play, going 5-6 in their 11 conference games thus far. This will be their second meeting with Gonzaga this season, with the first certainly not going according to plan.
It was Gonzaga who came away with a rather comfortable 73-55 win in that one. We probably shouldn’t be that surprised by the outcome given that LMU has failed to beat the Bulldogs in their last 10 meetings. They are also just 1-4-1 ATS in the last 6 times that Gonzaga rolled into town.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 67.92
- Field Goal Percentage: 45.58
- Three-Point Percentage: 32.75
- Free Throw Percentage: 73.77
- Total Rebounds: 33.32
- Total Score: 61.80
- Field Goal Percentage: 41.73
- Three-Point Percentage: 30.83
- Free Throw Percentage: 73.88
- Total Rebounds: 28.96
Gonzaga vs Loyola Marymount NCAAB Betting Trends
- Gonzaga is 6-2-1 ATS in its last 9 games when playing Loyola Marymount
- Gonzaga is 15-2 SU in its last 17 games on the road
- The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Gonzaga’s last 14 games
- Loyola Marymount is 1-4-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Gonzaga
- Loyola Marymount is 15-2 SU in its last 17 games at home
- The total has gone OVER in 7 of Loyola Marymount’s last 8 games at home
Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction
I really do believe that Gonzaga has hat it takes to go unbeaten the rest of the way in the regular season, as they have not been seriously tested in conference play to this point. I don’t see this match-up being any different, which is why I am on the Gonzaga Bulldogs to win and cover.
Score: Gonzaga Bulldogs 81 – Loyola Marymount Lions 57
