The No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs take to the floor on Thursday night as they host the Pepperdine Waves in NCAA basketball action. College basketball odds have Gonzaga as a whopping 25.5-point favorite in this contest with the Over/Under at 164.
While college basketball betting can often be tough to handicap with odds this lopsided, we're here to give you the hoops insight you need to turn a profit with our free Pepperdine vs. Gonzaga picks and predictions for Thursday, January 14, with tipoff at 9 p.m. ET.
Pepperdine Waves at Gonzaga Bulldogs Betting Preview
Key Injuries
Pepperdine: Kene Chukwuka F (Questionable), Victor Ohia Obioha C (Out).
Gonzaga: None.
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting Trend to Know
The Over is 22-8 in Gonzaga's last 30 home games. Find more NCAA betting trends for Pepperdine vs. Gonzaga.
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Against the Spread (ATS) Pick
Figuring out the best team in this matchup isn't exactly tough, Gonzaga is a massive favorite for good reason. The Zags entered this season as national championship favorites and have done nothing to dissuade that notion, beginning the season with a perfect 12-0 record. The Bulldogs have been ridiculously dominant, posting an average scoring margin of plus-22.7 points per game, and have convincing wins against highly-ranked programs like Kansas, West Virginia and Iowa.
Now the Bulldogs face a 4-5 Pepperdine squad coming off back-to-back losses at home, most recently an ugly 28-point defeat to CSU Bakersfield.
Of course, the problem when two teams with such a huge gap in talent take to the floor is that you have to swallow a lot of chalk when taking the favorite. And that even if the Zags are absolutely killing the Waves, there's a chance that Gonzaga head coach Mark Few rests some of his top players towards the end of the game, resulting in a garbage-time cover for the underdogs.
One way to get around that is by betting the first-half line instead. Gonzaga is a much more managable -14.5 in the first 20 minutes, and has an incredible first-half scoring margin of plus-20.8 ppg at home.
While the Bulldogs are just 3-4-1 ATS on the full game spread over their last eight games, they are a commanding 6-1 ATS in the first half over their previous six contests. And in the one first half they didn't cover over that span (against San Francisco), they missed by just a single point. Take the Zags on the first-half spread.
PREDICTION: First Half Gonzaga -14.5 (-110)
Over/Under Pick
The big reason that Gonzaga has been such a juggernaut this season has been their incredible play on the offensive end of the court.
The Bulldogs lead the country in both scoring with 96.1 ppg, and shooting with a field goal percentage of 55.6 percent. And they are almost impossible to defend, with all five starters scoring in double figures, led by Corey Kispert and his 21.1 ppg.
Interestingly enough, in an era where three-point shooting is a king, the Bulldogs rarely shoot from beyond the arc, ranking outside the Top-200 when it comes to three-pointers made and attempted. While a pessimist might look at that number and see a flaw, not having to depend on outside shots to fall makes them even more consistent on offense.
However, Gonzaga also plays at one of the fastest paces in the nation, which allows their opponents to average 73.4 ppg. That style of play has made the Zags one of the best Over bets in college basketball going back the last few seasons, going 40-15 O/U in their last 45 games overall and 22-8 O/U in their previous 30 contests at home.
With Pepperdine cashing the Over in 12 of their last 17 contests as an underdog, back the Over again.
PREDICTION: Over 164 (-110)
Pepperdine vs Gonzaga Betting Card
- First Half Gonzaga -14.5 (-110)
- Over 164 (-110)
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