Gonzaga vs. Pepperdine Pick
Can No. 19 Gonzaga go on the road and cover a very lofty spread when the Bulldogs take on Pepperdine tonight at 11PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Gonzaga is the clear favorite on the road in this game, as the Bulldogs are getting odds of -20 points against Pepperdine. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 151.5 points. Tonight’s game takes place from Firestone Fieldhouse in Malibu, California and will air live on ESPNU.
Gonzaga has won five of its last six games entering tonight’s contest. The Bulldogs are now 12-3 overall, 2-0 in the West Coast Conference and 7-5 against the spread. They have covered in three of their last four games. Gonzaga is putting up 90.3 points per game this season while allowing 71.4 per contest. Josh Perkins is leading Gonzaga with 14 points and 5.4 assists per game while Johnathan Williams is adding 13.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest.
Pepperdine has dropped five straight games coming into tonight’s contest. The Waves are now 3-11 overall, 0-2 in the West Coast Conference and 5-8 against the spread. Pepperdine has covered in two of its last three games. The Waves are averaging 70.9 points per game on offense while allowing 78.8 per contest. Kameron Edwards is averaging 15.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game to lead this team, but he is out indefinitely with a concussion. Colbey Ross adds 14.3 points and 5.3 assists per game for the Waves.
Gonzaga has dominated the series, winning the last meetings while covering in four of the last five encounters. Pepperdine doesn’t bring much to the table in this series, as they have been getting soundly beaten by poor opponents and are without their top player. Gonzaga isn’t a team that tends to take others lightly. While they did struggle with North Dakota, I think Gonzaga will easily dispose of the Waves. The public betting is overwhelmingly with Gonzaga tonight and I am as well.
CBB DAILY PREDICTION: GONZAGA -20