Ohio State vs. Gonzaga Pick
Who will come away with a big NCAA Tournament win on Saturday when No. 5 Ohio State faces No. 4 Gonzaga at 7:45PM ET?
GAME SNAPSHOT
NCAA Tournament West Region: (535) Ohio State vs. (536) Gonzaga
Saturday, March 17, 2018
Location: Taco Bell Arena, Boise, Idaho
TV: CBS, 7:45PM ET
CURRENT ODDS
According to oddsmakers at YouWager, Gonzaga is favored in this game, as the Bulldogs are getting odds of -3.5 points against Ohio State. The over/under total is currently listed at 142 points.
LINE MOVEMENT
The opening spread for this game had Gonzaga favored by 2.5 points. The spread slowly climbed up another point over the 48 hours. The over/under total opened at 144 points, then continued to drop as well.
Bet on College Basketball for Saturday, March 17, 2018
PUBLIC BETTING INFORMATION
The public is behind Gonzaga for this game. As of Saturday morning, the Bulldogs are getting 77 percent of the wagers on this game as the favorite against Ohio State.
KEY INJURIES
Gonzaga comes into today healthy, with nobody listed on the injury report. Ohio State has forward Andre Wesson listed as probable for the contest as he deals with a knee injury. Wesson averages 10.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game for the Buckeyes.
BETTING STRATEGIES
Gonzaga got a scare in its opener on Thursday, holding off UNC-Greensboro for a 68-64 victory despite being a 12.5-point favorite. Ohio State pulled away late from South Dakota State for an 81-73 victory. However, the Buckeyes were an 8.5-point favorite.
After an impressive start in the Big Ten, the Buckeyes have been struggling over the last month. They are just 3-3 straight up in their last six and 1-5 against the spread. While Gonzaga had a scare on Thursday, I think the Bulldogs are the better team today.
We have seen teams struggle in their first NCAA Tournament game and then go on to roll to the Final Four or beyond. I think Gonzaga got the scare out of the way on Thursday and now get a chance to play a Power 5 school and resume playing with that mid-major chip on their shoulder. Gonzaga has an offense that can be tough to contain and Ohio State is a little too reliant on Keita Bates-Diop to lead their charge. I expect Mark Few to be able to game plan appropriately for him and guide his Zags to a victory.
NCAA TOURNAMENT PREDICTIONS: GONZAGA -3.5