The No. 13 Gonzaga Bulldogs will host a matchup against the No. 19 Arizona Wildcats at McCarthey Athletic Center. The game gets underway at 3:15 pm ET on Saturday, Dec. 5 and can be seen on ESP and ES3.
The Bulldogs come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, beating Washington State 69-60 on Wednesday. Kyle Wiltjer led all scorers on the team with 22 points on 8-for-15 shooting. The Wildcats, meanwhile, are coming off a 68-59 win over Boise State on Sunday. Kadeem Allen was the team’s top scorer, recording 13 points on 4-for-6 shooting.
Gonzaga is a seven-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 139 points. The Bulldogs enter the game with records of 5-1 Straight Up (SU) and 2-2-1 Against The Spread (ATS). Gonzaga has consistently been near the top of the nation in terms of field goal percentage, currently ranking 27th in the nation with a FG% of .496. Turning to the defensive side, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score on the Bulldogs. The 60.7 points that Gonzaga’s defense allows per game makes them the 19th-ranked defense in the country. Opposing offenses have been stifled by the Bulldogs, who allow a field goal percentage of only .356.
Over on the other bench, the Wildcats have 6-1 SU and 2-5 ATS records.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between Gonzaga and Arizona. Their previous game was a Wildcats victory, bringing their SU record to 4-1. The Bulldogs lead the matchup ATS with a record of 3-2.
Predictions: SU Winner – Ari, ATS Winner – Ari, O/U – Under
Notes
Gonzaga is 22-3 SU in its last 25 games.
Gonzaga is 23-2 SU in its last 25 games at home.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs average 79.2 points per game, ranking 98th in the nation. The Arizona Wildcats rank 37th in points allowed with 62.9.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs rank 95th for their offensive rating of 111.5. The Arizona Wildcats have a defensive rating of 90.6 (ranked 33rd).
On average, Gonzaga has 71.0 possessions per game and scores 1.115 points on each possession. Arizona has both fewer possessions (70.0) and scores fewer points during those possessions (1.073).
The Arizona Wildcats average an effective field goal percentage of 49.8% this season. The Gonzaga Bulldogs are a winless 0-1 when opponents have an eFG% of 49.8% or greater.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs average 20.0 three point attempts per game, while the Arizona Wildcats attempt 17.0. When attempting 20 or more three pointers in a game, Gonzaga is 4-1 while Arizona is undefeated (4-0).
Gonzaga, the 22nd-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 43.8 rebounds per game. Arizona ranks 51st with 41.9.
The Arizona Wildcats rank 84th in offensive rebounds, and the Gonzaga Bulldogs rank 10th in the nation in defensive rebounds.
On average, Gonzaga forces a turnover rate of 18.1%. When Arizona turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a winning 4-1 record.
