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The BYU Cougars take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Check out our college basketball odds series for our BYU Gonzaga prediction and pick. Find out how to watch BYU Gonzaga.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs are in the midst of an up-and-down season. From one game to the next, this team's level of performance varies wildly. The Zags beat Alabama by 10 in Birmingham, and they lost at home to Loyola Marymount. They lost to Saint Mary's last Saturday and then looked indomitable on Thursday in a wipeout of a talented San Francisco team. They nearly lost several WCC road games but managed to rescue themselves with great plays in the final five minutes. Good, bad, and ordinary — we have seen a lot of Gonzaga in various forms and at different levels of competence and efficiency. Which Gonzaga team is going to show up? We will see in this home game versus a BYU team which has been quite inconsistent in its own right this season.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the BYU-Gonzaga College Basketball odds.
College Basketball Odds: BYU-Gonzaga Odds
BYU Cougars: +12.5 (-102)
Gonzaga Bulldogs: -12.5 (-120)
Over: 155.5 (-110)
Under: 155.5 (-110)
How To Watch BYU vs. Gonzaga
TV: ESPN2
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET, 7:00 p.m. PT
*Watch BYU-Gonzaga LIVE with fuboTV (Click for free trial)*
Why BYU Could Cover the Spread
The Cougars led Gonzaga by five points with under three minutes left in the previous meeting between the two teams this season. They were up 70-65 and had the Zags on the ropes. They let GU slip away, but the larger point is that BYU definitely has the talent and the capability to play a close game against the Zags. BYU did cover the spread in that first meeting in Provo. Now Gonzaga is favored by more than a dozen points. Given how erratic Gonzaga has been this season, losing at home to Loyola Marymount and fluctuating considerably in quality from one game to the next, it's entirely reasonable to expect BYU to be competitive. Moreover, BYU lost at Pepperdine on Thursday, which might seem like a reason to pick Gonzaga here. Yet, BYU was looking past the Waves and thinking about this game against the Zags. Expect BYU to play its best, which will be good enough to cover unless Gonzaga plays a ridiculously great game.
Why Gonzaga Could Cover the Spread
The Zags have struggled a lot, but they looked like the Zags of old against San Francisco on Thursday. Their offense looked as good as it ever has throughout the season. GU responded to the loss against Saint Mary's with the intensity and precision one would expect of a Mark Few-coached team. All Gonzaga has to do to cover the spread is replicate that San Francisco game here. Given that Gonzaga played poorly for the first 37 minutes of its previous game against BYU, one should expect GU to be a lot better in this situation on its home floor. Gonzaga has the firepower and the focus needed to blow the doors off the Cougars, who just lost on the road at Pepperdine on Thursday and are limping to the end of a disappointing season. BYU might make an early push, but if the Cougars can't play the first 10 minutes on even terms, and Gonzaga bursts out to a quick eight-point lead, that's going to be the on-ramp to a 25-point thrashing for the Zags.
Final BYU-Gonzaga Prediction & Pick
This game is unlikely to be close. It is unlikely to be as even as it was in Provo. Take Gonzaga, which will start fast and not look back.
Final BYU-Gonzaga Prediction & Pick: Gonzaga -12.5
