The Gonzaga Bulldogs survived a scare in the first round of the NCAA Tournament West Region with a narrow 68-64 victory over the UNC Greensboro Spartans on Thursday, March 15. Gonzaga failed to cover the -12.5 spread, while the clash went under the total of 136.5 points.
The Bulldogs will progress to the Round of 32 where they will meet the winner of the matchup between Ohio State and South Dakota State, and if Gonzaga repeats the performance from today, they could struggle to see off their next opponents.
The odds for the match between Gonzaga and Ohio State or South Dakota State will be released by BetDSI Sportsbook in a few hours, and the Bulldogs should be considered as favorites in the next round, so we expect to see them in the Sweet 16.
Game Recap
Gonzaga had a comfortable 9-point lead at halftime, but UNC Greensboro managed to come back and even go up by a couple of points, but Zach Norvell’s triple with just 21 seconds to go gave the Bulldogs a 3-point lead, and he then hit a free-throw to help his team avoid an upset.
The Bulldogs had 42.4% from the field and made five out of 23 attempts from beyond the arc (21.7%), while their perimeter defense was excellent, limiting the Spartans to a miserable 3-22 from downtown. Mark Few’s side hit eight more free-throws and that played a big part in today’s win.
Jonathan Williams led Gonzaga with a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds; Josh Perkins followed him with 16 points and a pair of steals, while Zach Norvell Jr. contributed with 15 points and three boards.
Gonzaga’s odds to win the NCAA Tournament can be found at BetDSI and they are pegging the Bulldogs at +2500, which means that Few’s men have a decent chance to lift the trophy. The Bulldogs’ next possible opponents Ohio State (+7500) and South Dakota State (+75000) aren’t among the teams with great chances to win the title, but Ohio State mustn’t be excluded.
