The Gonzaga Bulldogs are currently the no. 1 ranked team in the nation, and they are expected to dominate the West Coast Conference again this season. They will look to show that when they welcome the Pepperdine Waves in Spokane this coming Saturday. Will the Bulldogs add another win? Or will the Waves pull off a stunner?
Betting on the Pepperdine Waves (7-7 Overall / 0-0 Conference)
The Waves had their four-game win streak snapped last Saturday, as they lost to the San Jose State Spartans on the road, 83-68. Forward Kameron Edwards led Pepperdine with 19 points, while Colbey Ross had 14. The Waves shot poorly from the field, going just 24 for 65 shooting, but they could have had weathered that atrocious offensive performance if they were able to take better care of the ball. Pepperdine committed 13 turnovers in the game to just seven by San Jose State. Turnovers have been tough to avoid for the Waves this season, as they are averaging 13.4 errors per contest. If they could cut down on their miscues, they’ll have more chances to gain rhythm on offense and capitalize on their solid scorers. They have four players averaging in double-figures, with Ross leading the team with 19.9 points per game.
Pepperdine, which is tops in the nation with an 84.7 free-throw shooting percentage, is 5-5 against the spread (ATS) in their last 10 road games.
Betting on the Gonzaga Bulldogs (14-1 Overall / 0-0 Conference)
The Bulldogs were merciless in their 93-72 decimation of the Detroit Mercy in Spokane last Monday. Gonzaga’s offense was humming all game long, as the team shot 50.8 percent from the field and went 10 for 23 from behind the arc. Forward Filip Petrusev top-scored for the Bulldogs with 22 points to go with six rebounds and two assists. Although they faced an overmatched opponent, what the Bulldogs showed in that game on offense was something they are very much capable of duplicating against any team. The Bulldogs are the highest-scoring team in the nation, averaging 88.5 points per game on 50.3 percent shooting from the field — good for third in Division I basketball. The Bulldogs also currently have an average scoring margin of 20.2, second-best overall. Gonzaga’s third-leading scorer, Killian Tillie (11.4 PPG) sat out the Detroit game, but was only due to load management reasons.
Gonzaga is 4-2 ATS in its last six games against Pepperdine.
