In Round 1 of the 2018 NCAA Basketball Championship Tournament we have a clash of two programs who are quite unfamiliar with one another. The Gonzaga Bulldogs don’t have to travel very far to play in their 20th consecutive NCAA Tournament, while on the flip side, the UNC Greensboro Spartans will have to make a cross-country journey and play in front of a pro-Gonzaga crowd. UNC is looking to advance in their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2001. Can they beat the favored Bulldogs? Register here to make your pick.
Betting Preview for the UNC Greensboro Spartans vs Gonzaga Bulldogs College Basketball Game on March 15, 2018
Where: Taco Bell Arena, Boise
When: Thursday, March 15, 1:30 PM ET
Line: UNC Greensboro Spartans (n/a) vs Gonzaga Bulldogs (n/a) – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: Turner Network Television
Betting on the UNC Greensboro Spartans (27-7)
Say what you want to say about the Spartans, but they had a relatively respectable outing in a 60-48 loss to to Virginia earlier this season. Why are we telling you this? Well, for one, this shows that UNC Greensboro has the ability to play better than what most people expect them to. A mid-major team scoring 48 points against Virginia and losing by only 12 points to the Cavaliers is something to write home about. The Spartans also had a win against tournament team NC State on Dec. 16, 81-76. The Spartans are being carried by their choking defense that gives up only 63.3 points per game. They are also great in taking away opponents’ outside shot, as the Spartans have held teams to only 32.3 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Gonzaga is aching to return to the national title game, where a year ago it fell to eventual tournament champions North Carolina. On Thursday, the Bulldogs begin their trek back there with a date with another North Carolina team, the UNC Greensboro Spartans. Read on for a preview of this intriguing matchup below.
Betting on the Gonzaga Bulldogs (30-4)
Gonzaga is a competent team on both ends of the floor. Though they have lost the likes of Zach Collins and Przemek Karnowski from last season’s team, the Bulldogs still managed to rank 12th in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency and 17th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Few teams could boast that they are inside the top 20 of those categories and the rest of those squads are considered title contenders, which lead us to state the obvious: Gonzaga is a threat to win the title, even more so to UNC Greensboro, which is going to enter Thursday game as the decided and unquestioned underdog. Gonzaga is scoring 84.5 points per game and is limiting opposing teams to just 67.1 points per game. The Bulldogs don’t block a lot of shots, but they are holding opponents to just 43.3 percent shooting inside the three-point line.
