College Hoops: Bettors Like #21 Gonzaga at Home over Portland St.
Team Page: Portland St :: Gonzaga
67% of Bets Placed on Gonzaga -22 | Matchup | CBB Picks
Gonzaga beat Portland State in its first game at the 3-year-old McCarthey Athletic Center, and hasn’t lost a game there since.
The 22nd-ranked Bulldogs look to extend the longest home winning streak in the nation to 44 games Thursday when they host the Vikings.
Oddsmakers have made Gonzaga -22 point spread favorites (College Basketball Odds) for todays game, the over/under has
been set at 157 total points (View College Basketball Sports Books).
Gonzaga (6-1) beat Portland State 98-80 on Nov. 19, 2004, in the inaugural game at McCarthey and has gone on to win each of its next 30 games at the arena. The Bulldogs also won their final 12 home games next door in The Kennel since a loss to Portland on Feb. 19, 2003.
Gonzaga has also won six games at the downtown Spokane Arena since the streak began.
The Bulldogs extended their success at home with a 76-51 victory Sunday over Idaho. Derek Raivio, who leads the team with 18.7 points per game, had 24 to help Gonzaga bounce back from its first defeat of the season, a 79-71 loss Friday to No. 19 Butler in the championship game of the NIT Season Tip-Off.
The loss came two days after the Bulldogs defeated then-No. 2 North Carolina, the highest-ranked team they have ever beat. Gonzaga’s loss also ended a 21-game regular-season winning streak that dated to an 83-72 defeat at Memphis last Dec. 27.
Still, Gonzaga managed to crack the top 25 after being unranked in the preseason for the first time since 2001.
“We had to come out and prove we were still a team and could play together,” guard Jeremy Pargo said Sunday. “It leaves a bitter taste in our mouth after losing to Butler in the championship game.”
Josh Heytvelt added 16 points and 11 rebounds for Gonzaga, which shot a season-low 44.8 percent from the field, but held Idaho to 38.5 percent. The Bulldogs are outscoring their opponents by an average of just under 19 points.
Gonzaga has a tough road ahead, with a game at Texas in Phoenix on Saturday and matchups with intrastate rivals Washington State and No. 13 Washington next week. The Bulldogs also face No. 11 Duke on Dec. 21 in New York.
“We get a day off and can go relax and get ready for the Portland State game,” Pargo said.
Portland State (4-2) has won three straight, including Monday’s 69-53 win over Portland. Juma Kamara, who ranks second on the team with 13.3 points per game, had a team-high 17, while leading scorer Scott Morrison, who averages 14.5 points, added 15.
Gonzaga has won nine straight against Portland State since a 74-59 loss Dec. 28, 1976.
by: Marc Young – theSpread.com – Email Us
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