The No. 20 Gonzaga Bulldogs (5-2) challenge the Montana Grizzlies (3-3) at McCarthey Athletic Center. The game gets underway at 9:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Dec. 8 and will air on RT, EFC and ES3.
The Bulldogs were beaten by Arizona 68-63 on Saturday. Kyle Wiltjer finished with 33 points to lead the game. The Grizzlies are coming off an 82-50 win against San Francisco on Friday. Martin Breunig led the game in scoring by posting 24 points on 9-for-10 shooting.
Gonzaga is a heavy 18-point favorite at home and the Over/Under (O/U) for this matchup is sitting at 134 points. The Bulldogs have gone 5-2 Straight Up (SU) and 2-3-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Bulldogs are one of the best in Division I in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting a stellar .488 from the field. Gonzaga has an edge in the rebounding department for this game, where it racks up an average of 43.4 rebounds per game. Transitioning to the Gonzaga defense, teams have to fight for open shots against the Bulldogs, who have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the country at .365. Gonzaga will look to take advantage of the Grizzlies and their propensity to foul. Montana ranks 301st in the nation in fouls, averaging 22.5 per game.
In the other locker room, the Grizzlies have records of 3-2 ATS and 3-3 SU. The Grizzlies allow very few three-pointers on defense with 5.0 given up per game.
Gonzaga and Montana will be facing off for their first head-to-head game in recent seasons.
Predictions: SU Winner – Gonz, ATS Winner – Gonz, O/U – Over
Notes
Gonzaga is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games.
Gonzaga is 21-4 SU in its last 25 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Gonzaga’s last 5 games.
Gonzaga is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Montana.
In its last game, Montana won by a margin of 32 points. Gonzaga is 2-0 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Montana has a 1-1 record in blowouts.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs average 71.2 possessions and 1.079 points per possession in games this season. The Montana Grizzlies average fewer possessions with 65.1, as well as fewer points per possession with 1.032.
Gonzaga has an average effective field goal percentage of 54.5%. Montana is undefeated (1-0) when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
This season, Gonzaga attempts 19.0 three pointers per game and Montana attempts 20.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Gonzaga Bulldogs are 4-1 while the Montana Grizzlies are undefeated at 3-0.
Montana ranks 277th in offensive rebounds, while Gonzaga ranks at seventh in defensive rebounds.
Gonzaga has forced an average turnover percentage of 17.2% this season. Montana is an even 2-2 when its TO% is 17.2% or higher.
