The No. 15 Gonzaga Bulldogs (15-3, 5-0 WCC) put their five-game winning streak on the line when they take on the San Francisco Dons (10-8, 2-3 WCC) at War Memorial Gymnasium. The game starts at 9:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 13, 2018, and will air on ESPNU.
The game’s Over/Under (O/U) opened at 140 points with Gonzaga set as a 12.5-point favorite.
Gonzaga Bulldogs at San Francisco Dons Betting Prediction
In the Bulldogs’ last matchup, they blew out the Portland Pilots, 103-57. The Bulldogs had an extraordinarily low turnover percentage of 6.7 (better than their season average of 15.2) and had an offensive rebounding percentage of 46.2 (above their season average of 35.5). With 23 points on 8-for-15 shooting, Silas Melson was the game’s leading scorer.
The Dons lost a tough one against the Loyola Marymount Lions in their last matchup, 67-65. Loyola Marymount’s free throw rate was their largest strength over San Francisco. The Lions had a rate of 0.150 (below their season average of 0.244), while the Dons posted a mark of 0.096 (below their season average of 0.211). With 12 points on 4-for-8 shooting, Frankie Ferrari led San Francisco in scoring.
The offense of San Francisco will go head-to-head against the stingy defense of Gonzaga. The Dons rank 244th in offensive efficiency, while the Bulldogs are 51st in defensive efficiency. The Bulldogs figure to have the advantage on that side of the ball. It will also be a matchup of opposite paces as the fast-paced Bulldogs rank 55th in possessions per game, while the more half-court oriented Dons rank 279th.
Gonzaga heads into the game with records of 15-3 straight up (SU) and 9-6 against the spread (ATS). Games featuring the Bulldogs tend to finish over the total (60.0 percent).
Meanwhile, San Francisco owns records of 10-8 SU and 5-9 ATS. Vegas is highly accurate when predicting totals of Dons games, with an even split between overs and unders.
Rui Hachimura has averaged 13.2 points over the last five games for Gonzaga.
After the Bulldogs won both contests against the Dons last season, these teams will meet for the first time this year. In the last matchup, Gonzaga won 96-61. The Bulldogs knocked down 22 of their 30 free throws (73.3 percent) and had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (35.3 vs. 23.8).
Gonzaga Bulldogs at San Francisco Dons Betting Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Gonzaga, ATS Winner – Gonzaga, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
On the road, Gonzaga is 4-4 ATS with 4 overs and 4 unders.
At home, San Francisco is 2-4 ATS with 4 overs and 2 unders.
Gonzaga ranks 13th in assists per game (18.2) while San Francisco ranks 150th (13.3).
The Bulldogs rank ninth in rebounds per game (41.4) while the Dons rank 129th (36.5).
San Francisco ranks 10th in three pointers allowed per game (16.8) while Gonzaga ranks 129th (22.1).
The Bulldogs rank 48th in steals per game (7.5) while the Dons rank 147th (5.7).
Gonzaga ranks 15th in blocks allowed per game (2.3) while San Francisco ranks 97th (3.7).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Gonzaga is 4-1 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
San Francisco is 2-3 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders over their last five games.
The Bulldogs’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 35.4, up from 21.0 for the season.
During their last five games, the Dons have scored an average of 70.2 points per game (0.9 above their season average) and allowed an average of 67.4 points per game (0.8 above their season average).
