The Pacific Tigers will be at McCarthey Athletic Center to take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs in a West Coast matchup. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Thursday, Feb. 18 and will air on RT, EFC and ES3.
The Bulldogs fell to SMU 69-60 the last time they played. Domantas Sabonis recorded 20 points and 16 rebounds, earning his 16th double-double of the year. The Tigers are coming off a close 65-63 loss against Pepperdine in their last game. Alec Kobre led the game in scoring with 22 points.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Bulldogs won the first game 71-61. Eric McClellan had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 19 points, one rebound, and three steals.
While the Bulldogs have a good Straight Up (SU) record (20-6), they’ve been poor Against The Spread (ATS) with a 9-15-1 record. In their last 10 games, they are 7-2 ATS. The Bulldogs come into the game with the 36th-ranked scoring offense in the nation, averaging 79.4 points per game. The Bulldogs are a phenomenal shooting team from three-point range with a .382 three-point field goal percentage, one of the highest marks in Division I. Gonzaga has an edge in the rebounding department for this game, where it racks up an average of 40.7 rebounds per game. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, teams routinely struggle to score points against the Bulldogs, who allow only 65.4 points per game. Teams have to fight for open shots against the Bulldogs, who have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the country at .395. Gonzaga will look to take advantage of the Tigers and their propensity to foul. Pacific ranks 333rd in the nation in fouls, averaging 22.5 per game.
Over on the other bench, Pacific has a SU record of 7-17 and an ATS record of 12-10. Pacific has been playing better lately, averaging 77.7 PPG, significantly more than their season average of 69.5. The Tigers average 70.8 points allowed per game, but have improved upon those numbers in the past 10 games, allowing 63.1 points per game during that span.
Gonzaga won the last meeting this season between these two teams, moving its SU record against Pacific to 6-0 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. The teams have an even record ATS, 3-3. Gonzaga held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers once, while Pacific was never able to do so in their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Gonz, ATS Winner – Gonz
Notes
Gonzaga averages 79.4 points per game (ranked 36th). Pacific, on the other hand, allows 70.8 points per game (ranked 128th).
Gonzaga scores 80.2 points per home game (ranked 76th). Pacific ranks a poor 141st in points allowed on the road, allowing 74.9 points.
In its last game, Pacific lost by a margin of two points. Gonzaga is 4-3 in games decided by a margin of three points or less. Pacific has a 3-5 record in close games.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs have a defensive rating of 95.3 (ranked 22nd), while the Pacific Tigers have an offensive rating of 101.8 (ranked 250th).
The Gonzaga Bulldogs have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking 16th in the nation with a FG% of 48.6%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Pacific Tigers have a losing 1-3 record.
On average, Gonzaga attempts 20.0 three pointers and Pacific attempts 20.0. In games where they have 20 or more three point attempts, the Gonzaga Bulldogs have a solid 10-4 record while the Pacific Tigers have a losing 4-10 record.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation with an average of 40.7 per game (ranked 24th). The Pacific Tigers are outside the top 100 with 35.7 rebounds per game (ranked 210th).
The Pacific Tigers make an average of 4.8 steals per game. When the Gonzaga Bulldogs give up 4 or more steals, they are a winning 16-6.
