First Round: Gonzaga vs Georgia State 3/17/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Gonzaga Bulldogs and Georgia State Panthers do battle Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Moda Center.

The 16-seed Georgia State Panthers finished their regular season with an overall record of 18-10 and secured a bid to the NCAA Championship after winning the Sun Belt Conference by defeating the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns by an 80-71 margin. Georgia State had a slow start to their season as the Panthers dealt with COVID along with injuries to a few key players, however, the Panthers were outstanding once they got everyone back and coming into the NCAA Tournament on a 10-game winning streak. Georgia State didn’t pick up any impressive non-conference victories this season, however, defeated some of the Sun Belt best down the stretch which included wins over Appalachian State (twice), Louisiana (twice), & Coastal Carolina.

On the season, Georgia State is averaging 70.6 ppg on 40.3% shooting from the field. The Panthers are averaging 7.7 three-pointers per game on 32.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Georgia State has been led by Corey Allen (14.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.6 spg), Kane Williams (12.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.8 apg, 1.9 spg), Justin Roberts (11.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.4 spg), & Eliel Nsoseme (9.4 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.5 bpg).

Defensively, Georgia State is holding their opponents to an average of 64.8 ppg on 41.3% shooting from the field. The Panthers have a rebound margin of 1.5 and a turnover margin of 4.7.

The 1-seed Gonzaga Bulldogs finished their regular season with an overall record of 26-3 and earned their NCAA bid after winning the West Coast Conference Championship by defeating the Saint Mary’s Gaels by an 82-69 margin. Gonzaga was outstanding throughout the season with their only non-conference losses coming against Duke & Alabama and although they did drop a matchup in WCC play this season, they got their revenge against St. Mary’s in the WCC Finals with a convincing double-digit victory. Gonzaga comes into this game winning 19 of their last 20 games and picked up impressive wins this season over Texas & UCLA.

On the season, Gonzaga is averaging 87.8 ppg on 52.7% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs are averaging 8.4 three-pointers per game on 37.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Gonzaga has been led by Drew Timme (17.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.7 apg), Chet Holmgren (14.2 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 1.8 apg, 3.6 bpg), Julian Strawther (12.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.0 apg), Andrew Nembhard (11.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 5.7 apg, 1.6 spg), & Rasir Bolton (11.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.3 apg).

Defensively, Gonzaga is holding their opponents to an average of 65.3 ppg on 37.9% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs have a rebound margin of 8.9 and a turnover margin of 0.8.

The Panthers are 8-1-1 ATS in their last 10 games overall & 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record. The Bulldogs are 1-3-2 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up win & 1-3-1 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games as a favorite.

Georgia State has been led by their defense which ranks 44^th in scoring defense, 70^th in defensive FG%, & 5^th in turnover margin, however, the Panthers offense has struggled at times, ranking just 190^th in scoring offense & 330^th in FG%. Gonzaga has been outstanding on both ends of the court as the Bulldogs come into this game ranked 1^st in scoring offense, 1^st in FG%, 61^st in scoring defense, & 3^rd in defensive FG%.

Gonzaga is the top overall season for a reason and should have no problem winning this game, however, I think Georgia State is much better than a 16-seed as this team is solid defensively and has been on a roll as of late. Gonzaga is solid on both ends, however, as I think the Georgia State defense will keep the Panthers in this game for a bit, I think Georgia State does enough with the points to get us a cover. Good Luck!