UConn vs Gonzaga College Basketball Betting Odds

Spectacular non-conference matchup in an otherwise very slow Friday night in college basketball as No. 5 UConn takes on No. 10 Gonzaga in a 2023 Elite Eight rematch with the defending national champion Huskies as short favorites on the NCAAB odds. It’s a neutral-site game in Seattle. 2023 NCAA Basketball Betting & Expert Analysis #5 UConn vs. #10 Gonzaga | MyBookie Sportsbook College Basketball Regular Season: November 6, 2023 – March 17, 2024 | Week 6 NCAAB

How to Bet UConn vs. Gonzaga NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

When: Friday, 10 PM ET
Where: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle
TV: ESPN2
Stream: ESPN+
Radio: Tunein.com
Opening NCAAB Lines: UConn -4 (total 150.5)

Series History

These blue-blood college hoops powers have met six times, each time at a neutral site, the first time a memorable clash in the 1999 Elite Eight. Every game but one in the series – UConn’s 82-54 rout over Gonzaga in the Elite Eight last March – has been a thriller. In that 2023 meeting, Jordan Hawkins scored 20 points to lead UConn over the Zags in a shocking blowout. Alex Karaban scored 12 points and Adama Sanogo had 10 points and 10 rebounds for UConn. UConn controlled the Bulldogs at both ends in the West Region final, building a 23-point lead early in the second half. The Zags shot 33% from the field — 7 of 29 in the second half — and went 2 for 20 from three-point range. UConn leads all-time 4-2. They will play again next season in New York City and of course could meet in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

College Basketball Week 6	SPREAD	MONEYLINE	TOTAL
Gonzaga Bulldogs	+5.5	TBA	U 150.5
UConn Huskies	-5.5	TBA	O 150.5

Why Bet on UConn Huskies?

No. 5 UConn (9-1) already has played three ranked teams this season, beating No. 15 Texas and No. 9 North Carolina by double digits each but losing at then-No. 5 Kansas. The Huskies are off a 101-63 home blowout of UAPB on Saturday. The Huskies led by just two late in the first half but closed the opening 20 with a flourish to take a 12-point lead to the break. The second half was all Connecticut, as the Huskies out-scored the Golden Lions 56-23 until a late UAPB spurt in the final two minutes of regulation.

“Happy with the last 22 minutes of that, thought it was really good basketball. I thought overall our defense was pretty decent based on the points they scored against high majors this season. Our goal was to keep them under 60 and they scored 63. Offensively it was good to see us shoot it better. This was more aligned with our expectations so it was good to see that,” Coach Dan Hurley said.

Alex Karaban led the way with a career-high 26 points on 9-of-12 shooting and a 6-of-9 effort from 3-point range. Tristen Newton had 16 points and six assists while Cam Spencer knocked down five 3-pointers to finish with 15 points.

UConn held a 9-2 advantage in blocked shots, getting three apiece from Donovan Clingan and Samson Johnson. The Huskies out-scored the Golden Lions 38-10 in the paint, 17-10 in fast break points and 24-11 in bench points. UConn dished out 21 assists on 33 baskets. The Huskies have out-rebounded all 10 opponents this season. The 13 made 3-pointers and 46.4 percent mark from 3-point range were both season-bests. UConn hit the 100-point mark for the second time this season.

Guard Solomon Ball was named Big East Freshman of the Week on Monday. The honor for Ball comes after the rookie had a career performance in UConn’s top-10 win over North Carolina on Dec. 5 at the Jimmy V Classic. Ball poured in a career-high 13 points to help the Huskies take down the Tar Heels, knocking down a trio of 3-pointers. He followed that up with a nine-point effort against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday, adding a thunderous block and a pair of rebounds. Ball has started the last eight games for UConn, averaging 6.7 points and 2.5 rebounds per game while playing 25.5 minutes per night.

All-America candidate Newton leads UConn across the board this season, averaging team-highs of 17.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game. He is one of four Huskies averaging double-figures on the year, joined by Spencer at 15.8 per game, Karaban at 15.6 per game and Clingan at 13.2 per contest. As a team the Huskies lead the Big East in both scoring offense at 87.4 points per game and scoring defense at 63.2 points allowed.

UConn has won 26 of its last 27 non-conference games and this is the final tune-up to Big East play, as UConn opens conference action at Seton Hall on Dec. 20.

Bet UConn to Win
MyBookie Betting Lines for NCAAB

Why Bet on Gonzaga Bulldogs?

Gonzaga (8-2) has faced just one team ranked at the time and lost 73-63 to No. 2 Purdue on Nov. 20. The Zags also did play UAPB earlier this season and rolled 111-71 for a common opponent with UConn.

Coach Mark Few’s team is off a 78-40 rout of Mississippi Valley State on Monday as the Bulldogs earned their 11th straight home win and bounced back from a 78-73 loss on the road to Washington last Saturday. Gonzaga opened the game on a 14-2 run, making six of their first nine shots. It went on another spree midway through the first half, scoring 11 straight points to expand its lead to 18, and led 38-18 at halftime. The game was over. Braden Huff scored 17 points, and Graham Ike added 13 points and eight rebounds for the Zags.

Anton Watson has 176 steals in his Gonzaga career. He is two steals shy of tying Josh Perkins (2015-19) for second all-time in program history. John Stockton owns the program record at 262 from 1981-84. Watson’s 66 steals last season ranks fourth all-time at Gonzaga for most in a single season.

Five Zags have finished in double-digit scoring in four of the past five games. GU has had at least three double-digit scorers in its first 10 games of the season, with five double-digit scorers in four of the games, and two outings with six double-digit scorers.

Gonzaga is eighth in the country in rebound margin (12.4), and 13th averaging 43.9 rebounds per game. The Zags are 24th in the nation in field goal percentage (49.9) and 13th in field goal percentage defense (37.3). The Zags lead the West Coast Conference in each of those stat categories. GU is 17th in the country averaging 17.00 fastbreak points per game.

Ike averages 14.2 and 7.9 rebounds per game, while Watson checks in with 13.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. The Bulldogs hold marquee wins this season over Syracuse, UCLA and USC so far this year. The Zags’ last win over a Top-5 team was last season, 100-90, versus No. 4 Alabama in Birmingham on Dec. 17.

Few currently boasts the best winning percentage among active head coaches at 83.6 percent, which also is the best in NCAA Division I all-time with a minimum of 10 seasons. Few is four wins from 700 in his head coaching career. He would be the 14th active head coach in DI to reach 700 victories.

The Zags’ 139 straight AP Poll appearances top the nation, with Houston second at 70. The Bulldogs’ 139 consecutive appearances in the Top 25 is 12th all-time in the poll’s history. Since 2017, Gonzaga has been in the Top-10 in the AP poll 109 times, which ranks second in the nation.

Since 2014-15, the Zags are 8-2 against current Big East foes like UConn. Since the 2005-06 season, Gonzaga is 260-75 in road or neutral games. The Zags’ 77.6-win percentage in road or neutral games tops the nation over that span. Gonzaga is the only program in the country to appear in each of the last eight Sweet 16s, including last year.

Bet Gonzaga to Win
MyBookie Betting Lines for NCAAB