Pacific vs Gonzaga | College Basketball Betting Favorites & Analysis

No. 2 Gonzaga is only six games from another unbeaten season in the West Coast Conference and the Zags aren’t losing at home Thursday night vs. Pacific, although the Tigers are capable of covering a massive spread on the NCAAB odds.

How to Bet Pacific at Gonzaga NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

When: Thursday, 9 PM ET
Where: McCarthey Athletic Center
TV: CBS Sports Network
Stream: https://www.cbssports.com/cbs-sports-network/
Radio: Tunein.com
Opening NCAAB Lines: Gonzaga -33 (total 155)

Last Meeting

They haven’t played yet this season. The Zags won both easily last year, with the one in Spokane ending with a 95-49 score. Drew Timme scored 22 points to lead the Zags and he’s still with the team. Corey Kispert had 16 points and Joel Ayayi scored 12. Daniss Jenkins scored 17 points for Pacific, which tried to slow the game down but was undone by poor shooting. Gonzaga shot 49% while Pacific made just 27.9% of its attempts, including 2 of 16 from 3-point range. The Bulldogs lead the series 19-1 after winning the last 17 meetings. Pacific’s lone win in the series came in 1976, 70-60, in Stockton.

Why Bet on Pacific?

Pacific is going to lose out on its two marquee West Coast Conference games as matchups the Tigers’ Pacific’s home game against Gonzaga and road contest at Saint Mary’s have been declared a no contest and will not be rescheduled. Each of the programs had multiple postponed games to reschedule, and future dates for these games were not available. Gonzaga was scheduled to travel to Stockton to play on Thursday, Jan. 20 but the game was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols.

Pacific (7-16) gave No. 21 USC some fits on Tuesday night before losing 74-68. The Tigers put together a dominant first half and held an eight-point halftime lead. Khaleb Wilson-Rouse had the shooting touch in the first 20 minutes of play, scoring a team-high 11 points. Alphonso Anderson also contributed to the successful first-half, scoring seven of the Tigers’ first 12 points.

Anderson finished the game scoring a game-high 22 points and was one rebound shy of his fourth double-double of the season. The senior, who had his second 20-point performance of the season, is now leading the team in scoring, averaging 11.4 points per game.

“Alphonso made the layups that I know he’s capable of making,” Coach Leonard Perry stated after the game about Anderson’s performance. “He keeps fighting throughout the season, he’s our leading rebounder, and his attitude is great … it’s been a joy to coach him.”

Pacific won multiple statistical categories, including time with the lead, as the Tigers held the lead for over 30 minutes of game time. The Tigers also outrebounded the Trojans, 38-29, while tallying nine offensive rebounds.

The Tigers nearly have four players averaging at least 10 points per game. Anderson (11.5), Jeremiah Bailey (10.7), and Luke Avdalovic (10.2) are at double digits, while Nick Blake is on the cusp, averaging 9.2 points per game. The Tigers are 2-6 in WCC play. The Tigers are 2-6 in WCC play. They do have a signature win this season, defeating BYU 76-73 in Stockton on January 29. Pacific doesn’t have much size with no starter taller than 6-foot-7.

Why Bet on Gonzaga?

The Zags (19-2) won their 12^th straight game last Saturday, 90-57 over a darn good BYU team. BYU scored the game’s first two baskets and took a 5-0 lead on a 3-pointer from George. But any upset hopes the Cougars harbored were quickly dashed. Gonzaga surged ahead with a 27-4 run over an eight-minute stretch and built a 27-9 lead midway through the first half.

The Cougars struggled to find any rhythm on offense. They made just nine baskets and shot 25% from the field before halftime. BYU misfired on at least six consecutive field goal attempts three separate times.

Chet Holmgren had 20 points, 17 rebounds, six assists and five blocks to lead Gonzaga. He became the fifth Division I player since 2010 to assemble at least 20 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and five blocks in a game. Julian Strawther scored 19 points and Andrew Nembhard added 15 points and six steals.

Holmgren swept WCC weekly honors, garnering Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week accolades. Holmgren and Drew Timme are fifth and 10th in the nation shooting 64.2 percent and 60.4 percent from the field. Holmgren is sixth with 73 blocks and fifth in the country averaging 3.48 blocks per game. Holmgren is third in the nation shooting 75.2 percent inside-the-arc.

The Zags have won 29 straight conference games, which is the longest active streak of its kind in the nation. Gonzaga’s last league loss was a 91-78 setback at BYU on Feb. 22, 2020. The Bulldogs have won 26 consecutive WCC games by double-digits by an average margin of 24.96 points. GU is one win from its 25th straight 20-win season, which is the second longest active streak in the nation. The Bulldogs ride a national-best, and program-best, 64-game home win streak, with the last loss in 2018.

GU is first in the nation in scoring offense (90.9), field goal percentage (53.6), scoring margin (25.6), two-point percentage (62.7) and in defensive rebounds (32.5), second in assists per game (19.3), third in rebounds per game (42.5), fourth in rebound margin (9.4), sixth in assist-turnover ratio (1.6), and eighth in blocks per game (6).