Baylor at Gonzaga odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Friday’s Baylor at Gonzaga odds and lines, with college basketball expert picks, predictions and best bets.

The No. 10 Baylor Bears (5-2) travel north to Sioux Falls to battle the No. 12 Gonzaga Bulldogs (5-2) Friday at 8 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Baylor vs. Gonzaga odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.

Rankings courtesy of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.

This will be another neutral-site game for Gonzaga. Elite teams love to play the Bulldogs. But they refuse to do it on campus. This includes this game being played in Sioux Falls as Baylor comes in to challenge the Bulldogs on Friday.

Drew Timme and the Bulldogs are still one of the top teams in the country despite losing twice in the early season. Timme is one of the leaders for the national player of the year, and coach Mark Few has the team at places no one ever could have thought it would get to. This will be the latest challenge against a Baylor team that beat Gonzaga in the 2021 National Championship game.

Baylor comes in looking to bounce back from an ugly 96-70 loss to Marquette Tuesday. The only other loss for Baylor this season was an 86-79 loss to No. 3 Virginia in Las Vegas. This was the first game for the Cavaliers after the tragedy on campus, and it was an emotional victory for the team.

This will be a heavyweight bout between 2 teams that, although starting a bit slow, will be 2 of the best teams and favorites to win the National Championship come March.

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Baylor at Gonzaga odds

Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:15 a.m. ET.

  • Moneyline (ML): Baylor +125 (bet $100 to win $125) | Gonzaga -150 (bet $150 to win $100)
  • Against the spread (ATS): Baylor +2.5 (-110) | Gonzaga -2.5 (-110)
  • Over/Under (O/U): 161.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)

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Baylor at Gonzaga picks and predictions

Prediction

Gonzaga 86, Baylor 81

Moneyline

PASS.

Gonzaga has been steamed up from -125, and we’ll look to the spread instead.

Against the spread

BET GONZAGA -2.5 (-110).

This will be almost a home game for Gonzaga in South Dakota.

While Gonzaga did lose to Baylor in the National Championship game 86-70, the Bulldogs won the prior meeting between the teams 83-71. This will be a back-and-forth game. But I like Gonzaga to finally win a close one at the end. GONZAGA -2.5 (-110) is my favorite play in this battle.

Over/Under

BET OVER 161.5 (-115).

Both teams love to score. This also means they give up plenty of points to their opponents. This game will be no different Friday.

So far in the 2022-23 season these teams have gone over a combined 11 out of their 14 games played. This trend, along with both teams wanting to win the game against one of the biggest challenges for the National Championship, leads me to the Over 161.5 in this excellent early season, non-conference matchup. A matchup which, according to rumors, could soon be a conference matchup in years to come. Give me the OVER 161.5 (-115).

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Baylor vs. Gonzaga odds, picks and prediction

Previewing Saturday’s Baylor Bears vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs sports betting odds and lines, with college basketball betting picks, tips and predictions.

The second-ranked Baylor Bears (3-0) face the top-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs (3-0) Saturday at 1 p.m. ET in the Jimmy V Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Below, we analyze the Baylor-Gonzaga college basketball betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.

The Bears were ranked No. 1 and the Bulldogs No. 2 in the preseason USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Poll.

Baylor vs. Gonzaga: Betting odds, spread and lines

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 7:25 a.m. ET.

  • Money line: Baylor +125 (bet $100 to win $125) | Gonzaga -155 (bet $155 to win $100)
  • Against the spread/ATS: Baylor +2 (+105) | Gonzaga -2 (-125)
  • Over/Under: 159.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

Baylor vs. Gonzaga: Three things to know

  1. Baylor (-4.5) defeated No. 5 Illinois 82-69 Wednesday in its first game of the Jimmy V Classic in Indianapolis, pulling away in the final seven minutes after being tied at 43-all. G Adam Flagler led the Bears with 18 points off the bench. Baylor, which is 3-0 ATS, also owns wins against Washington (86-52) and Louisiana (112-82). G Jared Butler is the Bears’ top scorer at 16.3 points per game.
  2. Two of Gonzaga’s three victories are against top-11 teams. The Bulldogs beat then-No. 6 Kansas 102-90 (as 4-point favorites) in the Fort Myers Classic Nov. 26, and recently knocked off No. 11 West Virginia 87-82 Wednesday – failing to cover as 8.5-point favorites – in their first Jimmy V Classic tilt. The Mountaineers game was a dogfight as the Zags trailed 39-34 at the half and, after being tied 67-all, produced a 20-5 run in the final 6:31 to pick up the victory. F Drew Timme (23.3 PPG) and F Corey Kispert (22.3 PPG) lead the Zags in scoring so far.
  3. Both teams likely were going to be No. 1 seeds in the 2020 NCAA Tournament, which was canceled due to COVID-19. Gonzaga was No. 2 and Baylor No. 4 in the USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll when the season was halted. The Zags are 5-0 in the all-time series, most recently claiming an 83-71 second-round victory in the 2019 NCAA tourney.

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Baylor vs. Gonzaga: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks

Prediction

Gonzaga 89, Baylor 85

Money line (ML)

PASS. I’m calling for a Gonzaga win, but I prefer to lay the 2 points at a -125 ATS price (below) compared to backing the -155 money line.

Against the spread (ATS)

GONZAGA -2 (-125) is worth a small play – half your usual wager – as this is no “gimme.” Expect a battle down to the wire. Gonzaga will have to do a better job on the boards than it did vs. West Virginia as it was outrebounded 41-36. What gives the Bulldogs the nod vs. Baylor is freshman G Jalen Suggs. In his college debut, the five-star recruit scored 24 points in the Kansas win. Against West Virginia, he exited the first half with a left ankle injury but returned in the second half. He only finished with 4 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 1 block. However, his presence played a key role in Gonzaga’s final surge.

Over/Under (O/U)

The OVER 159.5 (-110) is the STRONGEST PLAY – 1½ times your usual wager. The two teams already have played a game in Bankers Life Fieldhouse, so an unknown neutral court won’t be an issue. Through their first three games, Baylor is averaging 93.3 PPG, while Gonzaga is scoring at a 93.0 PPG clip.

This should be a fun one!

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Johnny’s 2020 CBK record / Strongest plays 0-0 / 0-0
2019-20 CBK record / Strongest plays 5-3 / 5-0
2020 overall record (all sports) 154-113-3
Strongest plays (all sports) 76-43-1

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