With a 20-10 record to date, the BYU Cougars still have a good shot at making the Big Dance. They solidified their chances at doing so this Wednesday by easily beating the Portland Pilots, 97-78.
Sophomore guard Elijah Bryant had a night to remember, as he finished with career-highs of 39 points and seven three-pointers made. Erik Mika, the team’s leading scorer this season at 20 points per game, also chipped in with 19 points on Wednesday.
But for all of BYU’s offensive prowess, they might simply not have enough firepower to keep up with the Bulldogs this Saturday. Not only is Gonzaga on a rampage this season (more on the team below), but the Cougars are also giving up an average of 72.7 points this season – bad enough for 194th in the entire nation.
Furthermore, a trip to The Kennel is the last thing BYU needs to stay hot heading into March Madness. The team has a mere 4-7 record on the road this season (3-8 ATS) and an even worse 2-7 at Gonzaga’s home court since 2012 (2-6-1 ATS).
Betting on the Gonzaga Bulldogs (29-0, 17-0 West Coast)
Total savagery is the calling of the No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs, and it couldn’t have been more evident than in their conference-clinching win this Wednesday over the San Diego Toreros. The Bulldogs made minced meat of their opposition to say the least, running away with a massive 96-38 victory on the road to stay undefeated through 29 games this regular season.
It was the largest winning margin for Gonzaga this season as well, but we’ve already been accustomed to witnessing such blowouts from this team already. The Bulldogs have taken the entire WCC and all their other non-conference competition to the dog shed this entire campaign, having won 21-consecutive games by double-digits and with sprinkles of 39-, 46- and 47-point deficits all the more apart from Wednesday’s 58-point massacre.
Just about everybody on the team was lit against the Toreros. Five Gonzaga players scored in double-figures, with Josh Perkins and Jordan Mathews scoring 15 points apiece, and with Nigel Williams-Goss and Johnathan Williams tallying 14 points each. Williams, by the way, had 19 rebounds in the contest, which was one shy of equaling San Diego’s own rebounding output the entire night.
While there’s that possibility of the Bulldogs opting to rest their starters from here on out, we’re still inclined to believe that the Zags will continue their impressive tear for an undefeated regular season. Not even the Cougars appear poised to snap that daunting run, as Gonzaga is 6-2 in its last eight meetings against BYU (4-2-2 ATS), which includes the 10-point win at Provo on February 3.
Writer’s Prediction
The Bulldogs make quick work of the Cougars, 83-65.
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