No. 8 Gonzaga cruised past Mississippi Valley State on Thursday night, 97-63, which kept the Bulldogs undefeated this season at 7-0.
Despite a hot start from the Delta Devils, the Zags took control of the game from beyond the arc, where they nailed nine of their 12 three-pointers in the first half to build a 21-point advantage at the break.
The pair of Josh Perkins and Silas Melson led the way for Gonzaga, scoring 15 points apiece with the former’s points all coming from five first-half treys. Meanwhile, Nigel Williams-Goss, the team’s leading point-getter (12.8 PPG) and the WCC Player of the Week, added 13 points of his own to go along with five assists and three steals.
On the year, the Bulldogs offense has been firing on all cylinders, averaging nearly 85 points per game, among the highest in the country. They’ve found so much success at this end of the floor, particularly with their unselfishness with the ball (16.3 APG) and three-point accuracy (39.0%).
The Zags are priced at +3,000 to win it all this season.
No. 16 Arizona responded with a Wednesday night win over Texas Southern, 85-63, after losing its first game of the season against Butler just a week ago.
The Wildcats came out as the aggressor right from the get-go, building an early 13-point lead in the first five minutes of the game. They led by 19 points at halftime, and eventually earned their 37th-consecutive non-conference victory.
Five players, including four starters, managed to score in double-figures for Arizona, which now hopes for the same result in Saturday’s marquee showdown with eighth-ranked Gonzaga.
Offensively, the Wildcats have mostly relied on their pair of first years in Lauri Markkanen (18.3 PPG) and Kobi Simmons (13.0 PPG). But they’re at a disadvantage versus the Zags, who are amassing at least 80 points per game. Arizona’s reached the 80-point mark only twice through seven games thus far.
On defense, though, the Wildcats have the upper hand. They’ve held each of their opponents below 70 points. Arizona is also tagged as a +3,000 sleeper to win it all this season.
