Bucknell vs Gonzaga prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball
12/21/2024 08:52 AM
It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Bucknell-Gonzaga prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Bucknell-Gonzaga.
Gonzaga has played a very challenging schedule, but now the Zags downshift for a cupcake game just before Christmas against Bucknell.
Gonzaga has not done what it hoped to do in nonconference play. The Zags clearly have potential, but they have not finished games. They had a five-point lead over West Virginia in the last minute of regulation but allowed a 3-pointer and fouled to give away free points at the free throw line. They were dragged into overtime and ultimately lost that game. Gonzaga led Kentucky by 16 points at halftime and still had a multi-possession lead late in regulation but could not hold it. GU was roped into overtime and lost that one as well, falling in Seattle to a Kentucky team making a cross-country trip to play the Zags in the Pacific Northwest. Gonzaga then played another very close and competitive game against UConn in New York, but GU did not have the answers in the final minutes and fell to the Huskies. That’s a lot of difficult losses for a team which blew out Baylor by 38 points on opening night back on Nov. 4.
In hindsight, and knowing what we know now about various teams in college basketball, we can safely say that the Gonzaga 38-point win was less an indication that GU is the best team in the country (it isn’t), and much more an indication of how weak Baylor is defensively. We have been able to learn more about Baylor and GU and see what the balance of power is truly like in college basketball. Gonzaga looks like a No. 4 or No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament, a team absolutely no one will want to play in the early rounds but a team which has nonetheless squandered its chance to get a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in March Madness. Playing in the WCC will not enable Gonzaga to build up its resume enough to make the climb up the seed list as the season continues. The Zags need to learn how to finish tough games and not go through nighmarish five-minute sequences in which the good work they do unravels and is ultimately wasted.
Here are the Bucknell-Gonzaga College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Bucknell-Gonzaga Odds
Bucknell: +32.5 (-110)
Moneyline: NA
Gonzaga: -32.5 (-110)
Moneyline: NA
Over: 155.5 (-110)
Under: 155.5 (-110)
How to Watch Bucknell vs Gonzaga
Time: 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN Plus
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Bucknell Will Cover The Spread/Win
This is a scenario we are discussing a lot in our ClutchPoints college basketball betting previews this week. You are seeing a number of games with spreads at or greater than 30 points. The question is not which team will win, but by how much? It’s right before Christmas. Final exams have either occurred or are occurring. Players will get distracted, especially in cupcake games which don’t get the juices flowing the same way high-end matchups do. Gonzaga is going to win, but the Zags might not attack this game with 100-percent full-tilt intensity. The spread is so large that if Gonzaga drifts through 15 to 20 minutes of this game, the other 20 to 25 minutes won’t be enough for GU to cover.
Why Gonzaga Will Cover The Spread/Win
Gonzaga has been so inconsistent this season that Mark Few will get his team to play hard for all 40 minutes, in which case GU wins by 40.
Final Bucknell-Gonzaga Prediction & Pick
We have no idea which team covers here. Gonzaga by 30, Gonzaga by 35 — neither would be surprising and we don’t have a firm handle on which way this goes. Pass.
Final Bucknell-Gonzaga Prediction & Pick: Gonzaga -32.5
The post Bucknell vs Gonzaga prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball appeared first on ClutchPoints.
