The day after Thanksgiving will bring us this great college basketball matchup. The Duke Blue Devils will take of the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the Continental Tire Challenge. Two 6-0 teams go head-to-head in what should be one of the better games this season. It's time to continue our college basketball odds with a Duke-Gonzaga prediction and pick based on Duke Gonzaga odds.
This should be one of the highly anticipated matchups of the entire season. On Tuesday, No. 1 Gonzaga dominated No. 2 UCLA in a game that should've been a lot closer. It was a rematch of the NCAA Final Four game last year where Gonzaga snuck by in a very close game. The rematch didn't prove to be the same as the Zags controlled the entire game from start to finish. They remain the top team in the nation and will continue to stay there for a majority of the season if they beat Duke Friday night. They already have two wins against ranked opponents this year.
The Duke Blue Devils are also off to a great start this season. Their schedule has been very easy to start the year besides the opening game against Kentucky. They beat Kentucky by eight and essentially dominated everyone else. This will be their biggest game of the season to date.
Here are the Duke-Gonzaga odds for Friday night in Las Vegas, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Duke-Gonzaga Odds
Duke: +7.5 (-110)
Gonzaga: -7.5 (-110)
Over: 155.5 (-106)
Under: 155.5 (-114)
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Why Duke Could Cover The Spread
This is probably going to be the toughest game for Duke to cover and win. They definitely have an easier shot at covering of course, given the 8.5 spread. It's probably been some time since Duke has been given that many points with how dominant they usually are. Despite their 6-0 record, Duke is 2-2-2 against the spread this year. It's been difficult betting for Duke this year with how weak their schedule is.
Duke can easily win this game if the stars all show up. Paolo Banchero, Wendell Moore Jr., and Trevor Keels form a very good trio and they will all need to be on their game Friday night. Gonzaga also has an incredible trio and has shown up each game. They will need to limit them to keep the game close in late in the second half.
Why Gonzaga Could Cover The Spread
This could end up being the toughest game of the season for the Zags. The top-2 matchup against UCLA proved to not be difficult for them so maybe this one will be. The schedule makers certainly didn't give Gonzaga much justice with two top-5 teams in back-to-back games. Either way, the Zags will likely come out on top regardless because of how dominant they really are.
I know I said that Gonzaga also has a really good trio, it's actually more of a quartet. The best part is that they are all in different classes. Junior Drew Timme returns to the team and will serve as their leader. Chet Holmgren is their top freshman and Julian Strawther is a sophomore. Andrew Nembhard is one of the top seniors in all of college basketball. Those four players are very good and will lead Gonzaga back to the NCAA tournament once again. This battle against Duke will be one to remember as we could see a rematch later in the season.
Final Duke-Gonzaga Prediction & Pick
I'm taking the Bulldogs to cover this game. It's a large spread against a solid team but I expect the Bulldogs to slip away toward the end of the second half. I expect it to be a lot closer than the Gonzaga-UCLA game but the Zags are going to find a way to cover. This will be an exciting game to watch.
Final Duke-Gonzaga Prediction & Pick: Gonzaga -7.5 (-110)
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