The No. 4 Gonzaga Bulldogs (+700 to win the national title) are simply on a different and higher level than every other team in the WCC. It’s almost unfair that they’re still in that conference. That said, that won’t stop the San Diego Toreros from taking their turn in trying to stand in front of the steamroller that is Gonzaga in hopes of stopping the double-digit (23-point spread, to be exact) favorite.
Betting on the San Diego Toreros (15-7 Overall / 4-3 Conference)
The Toreros are starting to find their rhythm. After defeating the Loyola Marymount Lions, 75-56, San Diego dealt the San Francisco Dons a 67-63 defeat that probably just took the Dons out of contention for an at-large berth in March. Still, that’s a huge win for San Diego against a team ranked 43rd on KenPom. Isaiah Piniero led the way for the Toreros, as he had 22 pints in that game on 7-for-11 shooting from the field to go with 13 rebounds, two assists, and two steals. The Toreros also overcame San Francisco despite missing Olin Carter III due to a reported abdominal issue. Carter’s status is crucial for San Diego heading into the showdown with Gonzaga, as he is his team’s second-leading scorer. Piniero leads the team with 19.5 points per game, while Carter contributes an average of 16.5. per contest. San Diego is a very top-heavy team, getting plenty of production from its top 2-3 players and barely receiving anything of significance from the secondary guys, and with Carter’s status currently still up in the air, the likes of Tyler Williams (9.2 PPG) and Yauhen Massalski (7.5 PPG) will have to step up.
The under is 5-0 in the Toreros’ last five road games.
Betting on the Gonzaga Bulldogs (19-2 Overall / 6-0 Conference)
Gonzaga nearly erased the Santa Clara Broncos off the face of the planet last week in a 98-39 win. That’s a 59-point winning margin for the Bulldogs, who continue to demolish the competition in the conference. They have an insane average winning margin of 30 points in WCC play, and there’s simply no stopping them right now. All five of Gonzaga’s starters scored at least 12 points against Santa Clara, with Rui Hachimura pacing them all with 16 points. Gonzaga does not have the same problem as that of the Toreros’, as the Bulldogs have plenty of firepower on their lineup. Hachimura leads the team with 19.9 points per game, but three others are putting up at least 11.0 points per contest. Gonzaga is the highest-scoring team in the nation with 91.4 points per game. And the Bulldogs are not selfish either, ranking fifth nationally with 18.8 assists per contest. They score plenty of easy baskets and are very disciplined in choosing their shots, which is why they are third in Division I basketball with a 59.3 effective field goal shooting percentage.
Gonzaga is 10-0 straight up (SU) and 8-2 against the spread (ATS) in its last 10 home games.
