Gonzaga vs LMU prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball
01/04/2025 09:47 AM
It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Gonzaga-LMU prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Gonzaga-LMU.
As conference play gets rolling in college basketball, we have to ask ourselves what kind of team Gonzaga actually is. The eye test tells us Gonzaga is a very good team with a high ceiling. The Zags led Kentucky by 16 points at the half of a game earlier this season. They crushed Baylor by 38 points. They went into San Diego’s Viejas Arena and handled San Diego State easily. They beat a solid Arizona State team. They played good defense against UCLA, holding the Bruins to 65 points. They are skilled, they have size and length, and they have players who can score in different kinds of ways.
The results tell a different story. Gonzaga blew that 16-point lead against Kentucky. It failed to beat UCLA because the offense didn’t show up and Khalif Battle got ejected. The Zags lost to UConn. They lost to West Virginia in overtime after having a five-point lead in the final 30 seconds of regulation, committing terrible mistakes and then panicking at the offensive end of the floor. Gonzaga doesn’t finish games. It goes through really bad 10-minute patches of play in a lot of its games. It recently defeated Pepperdine, but not after being outscored by 14 points in an extended stretch of the second half. Gonzaga led that game by 18 points at halftime and watched its lead get chopped down to four before it managed to hold on for the win.
What kind of team is Gonzaga? You could come up with various answers from various vantage points, and all of them would be valid. Gonzaga really needs to tighten up its identity so that people won’t question the team as much … and more importantly, so that the Zags can get a No. 4 seed at the NCAA Tournament, which is probably their ceiling in terms of seeding at this point.
Here are the Gonzaga-LMU College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Gonzaga-LMU Odds
Gonzaga: -16.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -2500
LMU: +16.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +1060
Over: 153.5 (-105)
Under: 153.5 (-115)
How to Watch Gonzaga vs LMU
Time: 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
TV: ESPN Plus
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Gonzaga Will Cover The Spread/Win
Gonzaga crushed Portland the other night in WCC play. The Zags were angry and looked like they wanted to prove a point. They are far, far better than a Loyola Marymount team which is not expected to finish in the top four of the WCC this season. There is a considerable talent gap here, and it will show up over the course of 40 full minutes. As long as Gonzaga can avoid that one 10-minute lull which seems to pop up in a lot of its games, it should win by 20.
Why LMU Will Cover The Spread/Win
LMU just hammered Oregon State on Thursday night, in case you didn’t notice. LMU played its best game of the season and ran a decent Oregon State team out of the gym. If that is the LMU team which shows up for this game, Gonzaga — as talented as it is — will not cover what is a very, very large spread. Keep in mind that Gonzaga did not cover the spread in the game we mentioned against Pepperdine. The Zags are inconsistent, and LMU can at least keep this game moderately close, losing by 11 or 10 points.
Final Gonzaga-LMU Prediction & Pick
Our lean is to LMU, but Gonzaga might be on the cusp of busting out and playing well. Pass.
Final Gonzaga-LMU Prediction & Pick: LMU +16.5
The post Gonzaga vs LMU prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball appeared first on ClutchPoints.
