The No. 1 team in the country looks to continue its dominant play with the Gonzaga Bulldogs facing off against the San Francisco Dons on Thursday night.
The Zags typically cruise through their conference schedule and oddsmakers expect them to have another easy time tonight with college basketball betting lines opening with Gonzaga as a 9.5-point favorite.
Here are our best free college basketball picks and predictions for Gonzaga vs. San Francisco on Thursday, February 24, with tipoff at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Gonzaga vs San Francisco odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
This line hit the board with Gonzaga at -9.5 with the Over/Under at 155.5. Early money has come in on the Zags and the Over, shifting the line to Gonzaga -10 with the total at 157 as of noon ET.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until tip-off and be sure to check out the full college basketball odds before placing your bets.
Gonzaga vs San Francisco predictions
- Prediction: Gonzaga -10 (-110)
- Prediction: Under 157 (-110)
- Best bet: San Francisco team total Under 73.5 (-115)
Predictions made on 2/24/2022 at 11:55 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Gonzaga vs San Francisco game info
• Location: War Memorial Gym at the Sobrato Center, San Francisco, CA
• Date: Thursday, February 24, 2022
• Tip-off: 9:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN2
Gonzaga at San Francisco betting preview
Injuries
Gonzaga: Kaden Perry F (Out).
San Francisco: No injuries to report.
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Gonzaga is 7-1-1 ATS in its last nine road games. Find more NCAA betting trends for Gonzaga vs. San Francisco.
Gonzaga vs San Francisco picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
The Zags fell short of the national title last season but they are the current championship favorites at +450. Per usual, they are destroying their (lack of) competition in the West Coast Conference, going a perfect 12-0 in conference play with an average scoring margin of plus 27-points per game.
They are actually coming off one of their most disappointing performances in recent weeks, beating the Santa Clara Broncos by a "mere" 12 points at home and falling well short of their -22.5 spread.
That said, their 10-point spread against San Francisco today is easily their lowest in WCC play and is actually slightly shorter than their 10.5-point spread against Texas Tech just before Christmas.
The Dons are a solid team, boasting a 22-7 overall record (albeit 10-17-1 ATS) and going 3-1 SU and ATS in their last four games, but they are nowhere near Gonzaga's level on either end of the floor.
When these teams previously clashed on January 20, the Bulldogs won 78-62 at home despite shooting just 28% from deep and getting outrebounded 35-33.
Although the Dons are at home this time, we don't expect them to repeat those feats against a Gonzaga side that has a 37.5 3PT% on the season and ranks third in the country in rebounding rate.
As competitive as this San Fran program has been in recent years (with the exception of last season), the Zags are still 6-2-1 ATS in the last nine meetings. And in two of the contests where they didn't cover they still won by double-digits.
Back Gonzaga on the spread.
Prediction: Gonzaga -10 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
The Zags are an offensive juggernaut, leading the country with 89.5 ppg and ranking fourth in adjusted tempo according to KenPom.
That said, oddsmakers might be inflating their totals a tad when you consider that they have cashed the Under in five straight games and that these teams totaled just 140 points when they previously clashed a month ago.
Keep in mind that this is one of Gonzaga's best defensive units in years with the Bulldogs ranking second in the country with an opponent FG% of just 37.2.
And while the Dons won't be able to stop the Zags' high-powered offense, they should at least be able to slow them down somewhat thanks to a lineup that ranks 20th in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency. Take the Under.
Prediction: Under 157 (-110)
Best bet
Piggybacking off our previous bet, this is a Gonzaga side that seems to be underestimated when it comes to their defensive ability. Despite playing at a speedy tempo, the Zags allow just 64.6 ppg with that number dropping to 60.5 ppg in their last six games.
Although the Dons average 79.1 ppg in conference play they shoot a mediocre 44.1% from the field and won't find it easy to get open looks inside against Zags big man Chet Holmgren who racks up 3.4 blocks per game.
San Francisco has also been held to 62 points or less in the last three meetings between these sides, which has us betting the Under on their team total tonight
Pick: San Francisco team total Under 73.5 (-115)
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Use our college basketball parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
