NCAA
Tournament on Friday night and we will see the Gonzaga Bulldogs take on the
Syracuse Orange at The United Center in Chicago, Illinois. CBS will carry this
game, which has a start time of 9:40 pm EST.
Current
betting odds for this game have the have the Bulldogs listed as 4.5 point
favorites, while the total has been set at 135.
The
Gonzaga Bulldogs come in with a solid 28-7 record on the year and they are
rolling right now as they have won their last 7 games in a row and have hit at
least 80 points in 6 of those games. That offense will be tested vs this
Syracuse defense. They Made it to the Sweet 16 with a 16 point win over Seton
Hall and a 23 point win over a strong Utah squad. The Bulldogs are now 7-0 ATS
in their last 7 games overall and 5-0 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games,
but we also note that No. 10 or lower seeds returning to the Sweet 16 round for
a 2nd straight year are 0-5 SU & ATS since 1990 and the Sweet 16 returnees
are just 4-15-1 ATS in this round vs sub .700 opposition.
The
Zags are led by Kyle Wiltjer, who averages 20.4 ppg and hits 42.4% from
distance. 2nd is Domantas Sabonis, who averages 17.5 ppg and leads the team in
rebounding at 11.7 rpg. Eric McClellan led the team with 22 points vs the Utes
and averages 10.9 ppg on the year, while rounding out the double digit scorers
is Josh Perkins at 10.2 ppg. Gonzaga checks in at 34th in the nation in scoring,
putting up 79.4 ppg, while also ranking 11th in shooting overall, 37th from
beyond the arc and 15th at the stripe. On defense they come in at 35th in points
allowed, giving up just 65.6 ppg, while also ranking 26th in defensive FG%
overall and 5th at defending the arc. The Bulldogs are 32nd in the nation in
rebounding, while they commit just 11.4 turnovers per game (66th) and force just
10.2 turnovers per game (336th).
The
Syracuse Orange were not playing well down the stretch of the season as they had
lost 5 of 6 games prior to the tournament, but they are playing very well right
now as they beat Dayton by 19 in round one and then Middle Tennessee by 25 in
round two. Syracuse has gone 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall and they are
also 5-1 in their last 6 neutral site games, but they are also 2-7-1 ATS in
their last 10 Sweet 16 games. The Orange are led by Michael Gbinije, who
averages 17.8 ppg and hits 41.3% from long range. He led the Orange with 22
points vs the Blue Raiders. Also scoring in double figures for the Orange is
Malachi Richardson (13.1 ppg), Trevor Cooney (12.8 ppg) and Tyler Lydon (10.4
ppg). Tyler Roberson is the team’s leading rebounder at 8.4 rpg, while also
chipping in with 9.0 ppg. The Orange are not a good offensive team as they come
in ranked 248th in scoring, putting up just 70.4 ppg, while also ranking 229th
in shooting overall, 113th from long range and 221st from the charity stripe. On
defense they are very strong as they come in ranked 24th in points allowed,
giving up just 64.8 ppg, while also ranking 44th in defensive FG% overall, and
13th in 3-point defense. The Orange are 169th in the nation in rebounding, while
they commit just 12.1 turnovers per game (115th) and force 13.2 turnovers per
game (114th).
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