The Gonzaga Bulldogs take on the Texas Longhorns. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Gonzaga Texas prediction and pick.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs were staring at the distinct possibility that they would lose their first really important game of the 2022-2023 college basketball season. They were down 12 points to the Michigan State Spartans in the second half of last Friday's Armed Forces Classic, a game played on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln in San Diego. They could have lamented the outdoor conditions and the abnormal circumstances which made this an unusual game and, more than that, a game not conducive to good outside shooting. A game played outdoors puts the wind into play, and shooters are not conditioned or trained to shoot in conditions were a small gust can kick up at any point in time and alter the trajectory of a 3-point attempt.

Gonzaga did not sulk, however. The Zags regrouped and managed to catch Michigan State down the stretch. Drew Timme and the rest of the GU team made a strong rally and edged Tom Izzo's Spartans by one point, 64-63. Gonzaga played a subpar offensive game. It is hard to imagine the Zags being worse at the offensive end in any future game this season. Gonzaga has been a team which can score 75 or more points with great regularity. Scoring under 65 seemed to spell certain doom for the Zags, but they prevailed with their own defense and grabbed a win which is likely to look very good at the end of the season. That win already looks better after Michigan State defeated Kentucky on Tuesday night.

Texas made the Final Four in 2003 and is trying to get back there, 20 years later. Rick Barnes failed to return to the Final Four. Shaka Smart failed to make the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Now Chris Beard is trying to become the man who enables a sleeping giant to awaken. Texas has hired prominent coaches to guide the Longhorns back to basketball's promised land, but recent seasons have not given the Horns or their fans what they have been looking for. Gonzaga defeated Texas last season, which was one of several important losses which prevented the Horns from getting an especially high seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Longhorns did not get a favorable draw as a result of their comparatively lower seed. They fell to third-seeded Purdue in the Round of 32 this past March.

Beard is now bringing back a roster which could reasonably be characterized as having plenty of potential but room for skepticism. It could all work out for Texas, but the Longhorns definitely have to prove they are elite before elite status is conferred upon them. That's how it has to be this season in Austin. The Longhorns need to show they belong.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Gonzaga-Texas College Basketball odds.

College Basketball Odds: Gonzaga-Texas Odds

Gonzaga Bulldogs: +2.5 (-110)

Texas Longhorns: -2.5 (-110)

Over: 143.5 (-110)

Under: 143.5 (-110)

Why Gonzaga Could Cover the Spread

The Zags are a much more proven team than Texas. Drew Timme is the best player on the court. Texas has not earned the benefit of the doubt. Yet, Gonzaga is the underdog. Nothing more needs to be said.

Why Texas Could Cover the Spread

Gonzaga is a better program, but Texas wants this game more and will dig down very deep to win it. Urgency is much more on Texas' side since Gonzaga beat Michigan State and doesn't have to deal with the prospect of having to avoid a two-game losing streak.

Final Gonzaga-Texas Prediction & Pick

Gonzaga is very rarely an underdog. Picking Gonzaga and getting points seems like a great deal.

Final Gonzaga-Texas Prediction & Pick: Gonzaga +2.5