Gonzaga vs Grand Canyon Odds, Lines & Predictions

March 7, 2023; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Drew Timme (2) is recognized for becoming the all-time Gonzaga career points leader against the Saint Mary’s Gaels after playing in the finals of the WCC Basketball Championships at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

• Gonzaga plays Grand Canyon in a West Regional game of the NCAA tournament on Friday, March 17th.
• Gonzaga is a whopping 15.5-point favorite over the Grand Canyon at Ball Arena in Denver.
• Read the Gonzaga vs Grand Canyon odds, analysis and predictions below.

No. 3 seed Gonzaga (28-5, 14-2 West Coast) is a huge 15.5-point favorite over the Grand Canyon in a NCAA Tournament West Regional game at 7:35 p.m. ET on TruTV. The Bulldogs make their 24th straight NCAA appearance.

The No. 14-seeded Grand Canyon (24-11, 11-7 Western Athletic) won four games in five days to win the WAC tournament in Las Vegas. The Antelopes capped the run with a one-sided 84-66 win over Southern Utah in the title game.

Gonzaga vs Grand Canyon Odds

Gonzaga is a whopping 15.5-point favorite over the Grand Canyon in the West Regional Opener in the first meeting between the two schools. Grand Canyon began as a small, private Baptist university and looked to Gonzaga as a role model when their program achieved Division I status.

FanDuel odds on March 17th. Check out the best March Madness betting apps.

Gonzaga is 13-18-1 ATS this season but has covered eight of his last 12 after a terrible start against the number. Grand Canyon is 15-18 ATS this season, 6-3 as an underdog. The Antelopes were the best game in Division I against “Over,” going 25-8 at that point. Gonzaga is 19-13 towards the end.

The winner of that game meets the winner of No. 6 TCU vs. No. 11 Arizona State in the second round of the March Madness bracket.

Gonzaga back in town

Last time Gonzaga wasn’t in the NCAA tournament? You have to go back to 1998, two years before Mark Few was hired as head coach. But things are a little different this time. The Zags are not competing as No. 1 for the first time since 2018, when they finished fourth and lost to Florida State in the Sweet Sixteen.

This group doesn’t have a top NBA draft pick like previous iterations — Corey Kispert, Andrew Nembhard, Jalen Suggs, Chet Holmgren — but they enter the tournament on a nine-game winning streak that includes two crucial victories over WCC-Co- Champion Saint Mary’s includes .

🏆 AP All-America Second Team:

🏀 Drawn Timme
🏀 Azuolas Tubelis
🏀 Jalen Pickett
🏀 Jaime Jaquez Jr.
🏀Oscar Tshiebwe pic.twitter.com/WIvmWRvqoK

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 14, 2023

A really good collegiate player, Drew Timme stands 6’10” and averages 20.9 points and 7.3 rebounds, the highest in his four-year career. He combines solid footwork with the ability to use both hands around the hoop, making him a very tough cover at this level.

Winger Julian Strawther (15.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 72 threes), insider Anton Watson (11.8 points, 5.3 rebounds) and guard Rasir Bolton (10.4 pints) provide options, but Timme leaves them run offensive.

As always, Gonzaga ranks highest in Division I shooting. The Zags led the nation in field goal percentage (52.9) and effective field goal percentage (59.2). The Zags are #6 in the NCAA Net Rankings and are 11-4 against Quad 1 and Quad 2 opponents.

Grand Canyon ends strong

The Antelopes, the preseason coaches’ choice to win the WAC, appeared to suffer a devastating blow when Jovan Blackshear Jr., WAC preseason Player of the Year, point guard, fell to Sam on Jan. 5 with a knee injury Houston went down. No worries . The Antelopes split their next 10 games to drop in league standings but found another offensive option in 6’4″ sophomore guard Ray Harrison, a transfer from Presbyterian who started early and reinforced his game late.

Ray Harrison for @GCU_MBB in the WAC tournament:

80 points
21 rebounds
23 templates

He is the first Division I player to score 80/20/20 in a conference tournament since Kemba Walker did so during UConn’s run of 5 wins in 5 days to capture the 2011 Big East crown.

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) March 12, 2023

Harrison (17.7 points per game) improved his averages to 19.9 points per game and 4.1 assists after Blackshear went under. Harrison led the WAC in scoring during concert play and added an exclamation point with two 30-point plays in the WAC tournament en route to being named Most Outstanding Player.

Forward Gabe McGlothan (12.8 points, 7.7 rebounds) had 21 points in the WAC title game and Yvan Ouedraogo (6’9″) had 13 rebounds. Ouedraogo suffered a broken hand mid-season and has been back for the last two months. The Angelopes are 18-8 when he starts.

Gonzaga vs Grand Canyon Prediction

These teams find ways to get the ball in the basket. Grand Canyon led the WAC in averaging nine threes per game and shooting 38.13 percent from long range, ranked 14th in Division I. They have shot more than 50 percent from the ground in every game during their six-game winning streak.

However, the Lopes are history. Gonzaga is one of two teams (Kansas is the other) to win its first NCAA tournament game in each of the last 13 seasons, and te Zags are the only team to have appeared in each of the last seven Sweet Sixteens. If this game doesn’t call for a game on top of another, nothing will.

• Choice: Above 155.5 (-115)
• Season CBK: 48-25 ATS

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