Is #1 Gonzaga a Winning Pick for the 2019 March Madness Tournament?

Is #1 Gonzaga a Winning Pick for the 2019 March Madness Tournament?

Written by on March 5, 2019

March Madness, NCAA Basketball Betting News

The current #1 team in the nation, the Gonzaga Bulldogs, should march into the NCAA Tournament the overall #1 seed. But, #1 doesn’t mean the Zags are necessarily worth a wager to win the NCAA Championship.

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Check out reasons why the Zags will take the title and why they won’t before getting to the bottom line on #1 Gonzaga.

Is #1 Gonzaga a Winning Pick for the 2019 March Madness Tournament?

  • Current Record:  29-2
  • Current Odds to Win it All:  +650

Reasons Gonzaga Won’t Win it All

The first reason’s obvious. It’s difficult to win an NCAA Tournament. That’s why great teams in the past haven’t always won it. Upsets in the NCAA Tournament happen all the time. The reason why is because it’s difficult to win 6 games in a row as it is. It’s really difficult to win 6 games in a row when each game becomes harder than the last.

For the Zags, history isn’t on their side. Since Mark Few became coach in the 1999-2000 season, the Zags have made the NCAA Tournament every year. They’ve made it to the Sweet 16 only 6 times. They’ve made it to the Final Four once.

Few’s taken the Zags to the Elite Eight twice while the Zags have bowed out in the Round of 32 8 times. Gonzaga also has two Round of 64 performances. History doesn’t say Gonzaga wins the National Championship.

Reasons Gonzaga Will Win it All

Based on record and stats, they’re the best team in the nation. Gonzaga’s only lost twice during the season. Both losses made sense. They dropped a game early in the season on the road versus #3 North Carolina. Most teams struggle in the Dean Smith Center.

The other loss happened in overtime against Tennessee on a neutral court. The Zags only lost to the Volunteers by 3 points. Not only that, but Gonzaga beat Duke. They should also be well-rested because they play in the West Coast Conference, one of the worst college hoops’ conferences in the nation.

All of it could add up to Gonzaga winning it all.

Bottom Line:  Is Gonzaga a Winning Pick to Win it All?

Right now, Gonzaga’s a great pick to win it all. First, they’ll be more rested than their competition. Second, they should enter the NCAA Tournament the overall 1-seed, meaning they get the best draw of the other 1-seeds, and, third, the stats back up their chances: 89.8 points per from 53.4% shooting while allowing 64.9 points per from 38.5% shooting.

Oh, and we’ve got to love the +650 odds, right? Putting money on the Zags to win the NCAA Tournament makes all the sense in the world.

2019 March Madness Expert Betting News