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Gonzaga looks to avoid their first loss of the year as they play West Virginia in the Battle for Atlantis. It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a West Virginia-Gonzaga prediction and pick.
West Virginia comes into the game sitting at 3-1 on the year. They opened up with wins over Robert Morris and UMass, before falling on the road against Pitt 86-62. They would rebound last time out though, beating Iona 86-43. Meanwhile, Gonzaga is 5-0 on the year. They opened the year with a big win 101-63 over Baylor. Since then, they have won over Arizona State and over San Diego State.
West Virginia and Gonzaga are meeting for the fifth time in their series history. Gonzaga has won all five games, last time winning in the 2020 season 87-82 in Indianapolis.
Here are the West Virginia-Baylor College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: West Virginia-Gonzaga Odds
West Virginia: +14.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +810
Gonzaga: -14.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -1450
Over: 155.5 (-110)
Under: 155.5 (-110)
How to Watch West Virginia vs. Gonzaga
Time: 2:30 PM ET/ 11:30 AM PT
TV: ESPN
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why West Virginia Will Cover The Spread/Win
West Virginia is ranked 71st in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings. They are 99th in adjusted offensive efficiency while sitting 65th in adjusted defensive efficiency. West Virginia has been much stronger on defense this year. They are 47th in the nation in opponent points per game, while sitting 14th in opponent effective field goal percentage. Further, they are ninth in the nation in opponent two-point shooting percentage this year. West Virginia is also fifth in the nation in blocks, while sitting 21st in the nation in steals.
Javon Small leads the way for West Virginia. The guard is scoring 15.5 points per game this year while also adding four assists and 3.3 rebounds. Further, he has been solid on the defensive side of the court, with three steals per game. He is joined in the backcourt by Tucker DeVries. DeVries is scoring 13.5 points per game while adding 4.8 rebounds and two assists. He also has 2.5 steals per game this year. Finally, Jonathan Powell has 12 points per game, while he adds two rebounds per game.
In the frontcourt, Amani Hansberry leads the way. He is scoring just 9.3 points per game but leads the team with 7.5 rebounds per game. He also adds 1.3 assists and 1.3 assists. Eduardo Andre has been solid down low. While he is scoring just 5.3 points per game, he also has five rebounds and 1.3 assists. Further, Andre adds 2.5 blocks per game this year.
Why Gonzaga Will Cover The Spread/Win
Gonzaga is ranked second in KenPom's adjusted efficiency rankings. They are first in adjusted offensive efficiency while sitting 19th in adjusted defensive efficiency. Gonzaga is scoring well this year. They are fourth in the nation in points per game this year, while sitting 14th in assists per game. Further, they are 16th in rebounds per game on the year. They are also number one in the nation in assist to turnover ratio.
Graham Ike leads the way for Gonzaga this year. He is scoring 14.6 points per game to lead the team. He also leads the team in rebounds, coming in with 6.2 rebounds per game, plus he adds 1.2 assists per game. Meanwhile, he is joined in the front court by Braden Huff. Huff is scoring 14 points per game while adding 3.8 rebounds this year. Finally, Ben Gregg is scoring just six points per game, but he is adding 5.2 rebounds per game this year.
In the backcourt, Khalif Battle leads the way. He is scoring 14.4 points per game this year while adding 4.4 rebounds per game. He also has 1.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Ryan Nembhard leads the team in assists this year. He has 9.4 assists per game this year. Further, he adds 12.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, and one steal per game. Further, Noah Hickman has 11.2 points per game, while also adding 3.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and one steal per game. Finally, Dusty Stromer has 7.6 points per game in the rotation. He also had 4.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.4 steals per game this year.
Final West Virginia-Gonzaga Prediction & Pick
Gonzaga has played with pace this year, sitting 84th in the nation in adjusted tempo according to KenPom. This requires strong defensive efficiency from their opponent. West Virginia does have that solid defense. Still, Gonzaga is even better on defense. West Virginia is 127th in the nation in points per game this year and will live and die by the three ball, sitting top 30 in three-point attempts and three-pointers game. Gonzaga is third in the nation in three-point defense this year. That will be the difference in this one.
Final West Virginia-Gonzaga Prediction & Pick: Gonzaga.
