The No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs (27-3) meet the No. 9 Memphis Tigers (22-10) in the second round of the West Region. Tip from the Moda Center is scheduled for 9:40 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Memphis vs. Gonzaga odds and lines, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
The Bulldogs had a bit of a scare for a second against No. 16 Georgia State, taking just a 2-point lead into halftime. They still ended up winning by 21 but failed to cover as 22.5-point favorites.
Gonzaga, led by F Drew Timme and freshman phenom C Chet Holmgren, is 14-13-3 against the spread (ATS) this season. It has impressive wins over No. 3 Texas Tech, No. 6 Texas and No. 4 UCLA this season.
As for the Tigers, they beat No. 8 Boise State 64-53 in the first round, leading by 19 at the half. The No. 5 overall recruit, F Emoni Bates, made a quick return from injury, playing 3 minutes and scoring 3 points.
The Tigers defeated No. 5 Houston twice in the last few weeks of the season but did have their share of bad early season losses. Their strength is in their offensive efficiency, ranking 34th in the nation in field goal percentage.
Rankings courtesy of the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
Memphis vs. Gonzaga odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11:55 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Memphis +400 (bet $100 to win $400) | Gonzaga -550 (bet $550 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Memphis +9.5 (-105) | Gonzaga -9.5 (-120)
- Over/Under (O/U): 155.5 (O: -107 | U: -115)
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Memphis vs. Gonzaga odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Gonzaga 85, Memphis 72
Money line
PASS.
Gonzaga, as the top seed in the entire tournament, is still an extreme favorite on the money line. The only possible way to play this is to bank on the upset. With that in mind, I’d look towards the points for value.
Against the spread
BET GONZAGA -9.5 (-120).
The Tigers win, and a solid tournament theme, has been the struggling Mountain West. While they did win handily, they did almost allow Boise State’s momentum to bring them back.
Memphis has too many bad losses to take in this position, having lost to Houston in the AAC Championship by 18 and to SMU by 16 in late February. It has also lost to Tulane, EKU, Georgia and many others.
Without a win over a top-four seed, I’ll side with the Zags here. Gonzaga is the only team with both a top-10 offensive and defensive efficiency per Kenpom.
It has experience with many players returning from their Championship Game run a season ago, and it has the length to deal with star and Memphis leading scorer C Jalen Duren.
I expect a strong showing from the Bulldogs to keep their championship aspirations alive.
Over/Under
LEAN to the OVER 155.5 (-107).
The Tigers have a competent defense, ranking 28th in adjusted defensive efficiency. However, the pace of this game should be the ultimate score dictator.
With both teams ranked in the top 40 in tempo, I expect a high-energy game. Gonzaga has gone over in 2 straight and in 3 of its last 4 as well. It managed 93 points in its first-round showing and still shot under its average from deep.
Gonzaga ranks 1st in the nation in points per game and second in efficiency. It also ranks 22nd in three-point shooting, where Memphis got some luck in its first-round matchup as Boise shot just 29% from deep.
If the Bulldogs hit their average in efficiencies offensively, I expect the pace to help push the Over.
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