The overall No. 1 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs remain undefeated. Everyone expects them to beat the Norfolk State Spartans in the first round, but March Madness isn’t so-called if crazy, unexplainable upsets don’t happen during this month of the year. Will the Bulldogs win and cover against Norfolk State? Or will the Spartans blow our collective minds and take out Gonzaga in the first round? Check out our preview of this game below.
Somewhere, Kyle O’Quinn is smiling and cheering for his Spartans. Norfolk State is in the first round of March Madness after escaping with a narrow 54-53 win over the Appalachian State Mountaineers on Thursday in the First Four play-in round. But the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament champions have a near-impossible task of beating Gonzaga in the first round, but a chance is all it takes for a wannabe-Cinderella team to shock the world. Norfolk State can go crazy with an otherworldly shooting from the 3-point area to keep up with the Bulldogs. On the season, Norfolk State is shooting 37.4 percent from deep. The Spartans went 7 of 18 from deep in the Appalachian State game, with Jalen Hawkins coming off the bench and scoring 24 points to lead the way. The Spartans need their best player to recover fast, though, after DeVante Carter shot 1 of 10 for just four points against the Mountaineers. Carter entered the First Four round with averages of 15.5 points, 5.3rebounds, and 4,0 assists per game.
Norfolk State is 3-0 against the spread in its last three games.
Gonzaga dominated the regular season and the West Coast tournament, which was a foregone conclusion that they’d win. The Bulldogs boast of a tremendous offense that’s unmatched this season, at least on paper. The Bulldogs are tops in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency with 126.1 points per 100 possessions while owning a Division I-best 61.0 effective field goal percentage. Gonzaga is stacked with talent, especially on its starting unit. Drew Timme, Jalen Suggs, Corey Kispert, Joel Ayayi, and Andrew Nembhard can all go off at the same time. Norfolk State will have severe headaches in trying to find a solution on how to stop the Bulldogs’ offense that’s averaging 75.1 points per game. Gonzaga, barring an insane stroke of luck by Norfolk State, should coast past the first round.
Gonzaga is 5-4-1 against the spread in its last 10 games overall.
