Who’s next for the No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs? Apparently, that’s the Pacific Tigers, who’s next in line to try their hands in bringing down the best team in the nation. Are we going to see a miracle this Saturday in the form of a win by Pacific? Or will Gonzaga calm the Pacific down?
Pacific’s four-game win streak came to an end on Jan. 21, as they lost to the Pepperdine Waves, 85-68. The Tigers didn’t even manage to come close to covering the spread as +140 moneyline and 3-point road underdogs. Pacific’s usually stingy defense, at least when in conference play, failed to stop Pepperdine’s outside shooting, as the Waves went 12 of 24 from deep. It’s going to be next to impossible for Pacific to stop Gonzaga’s top guns from firing altogether, but if the Tigers are to keep at least within shouting distance of the Bulldogs on Saturday, it’s going to need it’s own offense to step up. The shooting has been steady for Pacific after a shaky start in which the team shot below 35 percent in two of their first three games of the season. Since then, the Tigers have shot better than 47 percent in each of the next four games. Pacific is second in the conference with an adjusted defensive efficiency of 93.5 points allowed per 100 possessions.
Pacific is 2-1 against the spread in its last three games overall.
It’s okay to get bored with Gonzaga’s dominance in the WCC this season, but what can you do? This team is so good, wins have become automatic for it. The Bulldogs raced to their 14th straight win to start the season by subduing the Saint Mary’s Gaels on Jan. 16 on the road, 73-59. The nation’s highest-scoring offense got balanced contributions from its array of elite talents, with Corey Kispert leading the crew with 17 points. Joel Ayayi had 16 points, while Drew Timme and Jalen Suggs had 14 points apiece. Gonzaga has shot over 53 percent from the field in each of its last three games, and while Pacific’s defense presents some semblance of a challenge, Gonzaga is likely to crush it like an empty can. On the season, Gonzaga is tops in the nation with an average of 94.4 points per game while shooting 55.3 percent from the field – also the best in the land of Division I basketball.
Gonzaga is 6-4 against the spread in its last 10 games against Pacific.
