#3 Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. #4 UConn Huskies Betting Preview
The West Region title matchup pits the three-seed Gonzaga Bulldogs (28-8) against the four-seed UConn Huskies (31-5) with a trip to the Final Four on the line. The winner will face the winner of the Texas vs. Miami game for a spot in the national title game.
Saturday’s Elite 8 contest is scheduled to tip off at 8:50 p.m. EST inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. UConn is a 2.5-point favorite, while the over/under total is 154 points.
What to Know – #3 Gonzaga Bulldogs
Getting here hasn’t been easy for the Bulldogs, who’ve faced a pair of close matchups against TCU and UCLA to get here. Gonzaga, who shared the regular season West Coast Conference regular season title with Saint Mary’s and captured the WCC Tournament title, is back in the Elite 8 for the third time in three seasons.
Offensively, Gonzaga led the nation scoring 87.0 points per game thanks to a 52.6% shooting effort from the floor and a 38.6% execution from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs defense was fifth in the conference, holding opponents to 73.1 ppg, 44.3% shooting from the field, and 34.9% from three.
Three-time consensus All-American and two-time WCC Player of the Year Drew Timme has guided the Bulldogs high-scoring offense this year. Timme is averaging 21.5 ppg and is coming off a 36-point effort in Thursday’s Sweet 16 victory over UCLA.
Gonzaga enters the game with a 15-20 overall record against the spread and a 3-8 mark ATS on a neutral floor. The Bulldogs are 1-7 ATS over their previous eight NCAA Tournament games.
What to Know – #4 UConn Huskies
UConn returned to the Elite 8 for the first time since 2014, a year the Huskies would eventually end with their fourth national title. Head coach Dan Hurley’s squad has looked like one of the best teams in the tournament, knocking off Iona, Saint Mary’s, and Arkansas by an average margin of victory of 20.7 points.
UConn’s offense was third in the Big East, averaging 78.7 ppg behind 46.5% shooting from the field and 36.4% from deep. On defense, the Huskies were at the top of the conference, surrendering 64.7 ppg, 40.6% shooting from the floor, and 30.3% from the 3-point line.
The scoring duo of Adama Sanogo (17.3 ppg) and Jordan Hawkins (16.1 ppg) led the Huskies through the regular season and tournament. Sanogo scored 28 and 24 points in the first two rounds of the tournament, with Hawkins leading the way Thursday with 24.
The Huskies own an impressive 24-12 record ATS and a 7-1 showing ATS in games played at a neutral location. UConn is 8-1 ATS over their last nine games.
The Pick is In
UConn has played great so far this tournament, but Gonzaga has the best player on the floor. Timme stepped up on Thursday to pull the Bulldogs away from UCLA, and he finds the magic again Saturday night in Las Vegas.
