The San Francisco Dons (20-13, 7-9 WCC) look to topple the No. 8 Gonzaga Bulldogs (26-5, 14-2) Monday in a WCC semifinal matchup. Tip from Orleans Arena in Las Vegas is at 11:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the San Francisco vs. Gonzaga odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Rankings courtesy of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
Gonzaga boasts the nation’s top offense with 88.0 points per game and seeks its 3rd victory over San Francisco this season. The Bulldogs recorded a 77-75 victory as a 9.5-point road favorite on Jan. 5 and a 99-81 victory as a 15-point home favorite on Feb. 9.
A strong showing in the WCC Tournament could propel Gonzaga to a 2 seed in March and help them gain confidence behind star F Drew Timme as it hopes to finally win a National Championship.
San Francisco may need to win the WCC Tournament to have a shot at a postseason berth. However, that will be difficult to achieve with a defense that ranks 265th with 73.1 points allowed per game and an offense that pours in 76.3 points per game (71st).
Expect this to be a high-scoring affair for the right to play the winner of the BYU vs. St. Mary’s game.
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San Francisco vs. Gonzaga odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:52 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): San Francisco +675 (bet $100 to win $675) | Gonzaga -1100 (bet $1,100 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): San Francisco +14.5 (-115) | Gonzaga -14.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 160.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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San Francisco vs. Gonzaga picks and predictions
Prediction
Gonzaga 90, San Francisco 81
Moneyline
PASS.
There is no question that the Bulldogs’ offense is elite and it is very unlikely that the Dons (+675) will be able to hold them down and pull off a victory here — even with that pricetag. However, despite that Gonzaga (-1100) should win you should never wager 11 times your potential return.
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Against the spread
BET SAN FRANCISCO +14.5 (-115), although this could get squirrely coming toward the end.
Gonzaga put up 99 points against San Francisco in the last meeting, but that game was at home. This game is on a neutral court and could be much closer than the 18-point margin seen in that showdown.
San Francisco should be able to score enough against a Gonzaga defense that ranks 276th with 73.6 points allowed per game to keep within 14 points, although this should be a comfortable Gonzaga victory from start to finish. A winning margin of 9 or 10 points is more likely for the Bulldogs.
Over/Under
OVER 160.5 (-115)
The Under is usually the play when the number is this high, but points should be plentiful Monday with 2 offenses ranked in the top 80 going against 2 defenses ranked outside the top 250.
The first meeting between the teams finished at 152 points and the last meeting finished at 180 points, so 160.5 then seems like a respectable number.
With Gonzaga coming off 104 points against Chicago State Wednesday, 90 will not be hard to hit. San Francisco is coming off a 93-87 double overtime win against the higher-seeded Santa Clara Sunday. While it might start slow for the Dons, they will pick up the pace and get this game Over the total by the end.
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