The Gonzaga Bulldogs will look to add another win to their resume when they meet the Pepperdine Waves for the second time this season. Will the Bulldogs dominate Pepperdine again and cover the large spread? Or will the Waves pull off a massive shocker of a win at home? Check out our preview of this Gonzaga-Pepperdine WCC college basketball game.
As expected, Gonzaga is ripping the competition in the WCC apart. In their most recent game, the Bulldogs destroyed the Portland Pilots in a 104-72 win at home last Saturday. With that victory, Gonzaga has extended its current win streak to 10 games, a stretch that includes their 117-83 demolition of Pepperdine at home on Jan. 8. In that game, the Bulldogs had their way on offense, shooting 54.2 percent from the field and going 10/25 from behind the arc. Just having the pair of Chet Holmgren and Drew Timme is a huge advantage already for Gonzaga. Holmgren and Timme each scored 18 points in the win over the Waves for Gonzaga that also ended the game with a +14 on rebounds and +7 on assists.
Gonzaga, the highest-scoring team in the nation with 90.8 points per game, is 6-4 against the spread in its last 10 games overall.
Pepperdine has yet to end its lengthy losing skid. The Waves lost anew last Saturday, falling prey to the Sant Mary’s Gaels on the road to the tune of an 81-57 score. Pepperdine certainly missed the scoring of their top scorer in Jan Zidek, who did not suit up against Saint Mary’s. Zidek, who is averaging 13.2 points per game this season, had 16 points in the loss to Gonzaga, while Houston Mallette had 21. If Zidek misses another game, Mallette along with Maxwell Lewis and Jade’ Smith will see expanded roles again. Lewis came off the bench in the Gaels game and scored 16 points. On the season, Pepperdine is averaging 66.2 points per game on 40.3 percent shooting from the field. Even though they have been consistently outclassed by opponents this season and are a massive underdog against Gonzaga, the Waves are 5-3 against the spread in their last eight meetings with the Bulldogs.
