South Carolina Vs Gonzaga Lines, Expert Pick & TV Info

The top-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs and seventh-seeded upstart South Carolina Gamecocks will both look to extend their March Madness postseason runs after making their respective first-ever appearances in the Final Four. South Carolina will look to record their fourth consecutive upset over a nationally-ranked title contender while the Zags look to void the upset at the hands of the incendiary and suddenly dangerous Gamecocks when they square off on Saturday. Now, with both March Madness title contenders looking to win and advance to the championship game, let’s find out which title hopeful is offering the most college basketball point spreads value in this matchup.

A Closer Look At The Gamecocks Vs Bulldogs Lines, Expert Pick & TV Info

When: Saturday, April 1, 2017 at 6:09 PM ET Where: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona TV: CBS Live Stream: CBS Sports Network NCAAB Odds: Gonzaga -6.5 / Total: 138 The Bulldogs and Gamecocks will throw down on Saturday, April 1 at 6:09 PM ET, live from FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee with this contest airing live on CBS. Gonzaga is a solid 6.5-point favorite while the total sits at 138 points.    

Why Bet The South Carolina Gamecocks Odds at +3.5

There are plenty of good reasons to bet on the Gamecocks after watching them (15-16-2 ATS) overpower three straight nationally-ranked title contenders to reach the Final Four. South Carolina has looked absolutely phenomenal in stunning second-seeded Duke 88-81 in the second round before beating third-seeded Baylor senseless in their 70-50 Sweet Sixteen win on Friday. The Gamecocks will take on Gonzaga after beating Florida Gators 77-70 in their Elite Eight matchup on Sunday to cash in as a 3-point underdog. Senior shooting guard Sindarius Thornwell had another stellar game with by scoring a team-high 26 points on an efficient 8-for-13 shooting night while P.J. Dozier added 17 points in the win. South Carolina shot 49.1 percent from the field while limiting Baylor to a dismal 30.4 percent shooting mark (26-for-60) while outrebounding the Gators in the win. Thornwell has been arguably the best player in the tournament after scoring at least 24 points in all four tourney games while topping the 20-point plateau nine times in his last 10 games.

Why Bet The Gonzaga Bulldogs

There are plenty of good reasons to back the top-seeded Bulldogs (23-9-2 ATS) in this matchup, starting with the fact that again, they’ve only lost one game. Not only that, but Gonzaga is coming off their best game of the NCAA Tournament after smacking No. 11 Xavier senseless in their commanding 83-59 Elite Eight win on Saturday. The Bulldogs got a team-high 23 points from Nigel Goss-Williams while Johnathan Williams added 19 points in the win. The Zags limited the Musketeers to just 35.5 percent shooting from the field (22-for-62) and a pitiful 12.5 percent mark from beyond the arc (2-for-16).

Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction

I know that top-seeded Gonzaga is very good and statistically better than South Carolina at both ends of the floor and that the Zags looked phenomenal in dispatching Xavier the last time out, but I’m thinking that South Carolina is a team that has been completely transformed from the mostly mediocre one that entered the tournament to the now, confident bunch they clearly are. While I really like Gonzaga’s roster of really smart players, I’m genuinely expecting South Carolina’s Sindarius Thornwell to be the best player on the floor in this contest, like he has been in each of the Gamecocks’ four tourney games so far. While Gonzaga’s defense has been rock solid in limiting each of their last two opponents to less than 60 points, South Carolina is also a very good defensive team and has been equally as impressive as the Bulldogs in limiting Baylor to just 50 points and Florida to 70. I know Gonzaga has gone 6-2-1 ATS in their last 9 non-conference games and 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 NCAA Tournament games as a favorite of 6.5 points or less, but South Carolina has gone 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games and a bankroll-boosting 21-8-1 ATS in their last 30 neutral site games. Gonzaga wins, but it’s going to be a nail-biter.

My final score prediction is Gonzaga 76 South Carolina 75