Gonzaga vs Pepperdine 12/31/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds
Pepperdine Waves (7-7) vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs (11-3)
December 31, 2022 5:00 pm EDT
The Line: Gonzaga Bulldogs -18.5 / Pepperdine Waves +18.5; Over/Under: +159.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Pepperdine Waves and the Gonzaga Bulldogs meet in college basketball action from the McCarthey Athletic Center on Saturday.
The Pepperdine Waves will look to rebound from a 76-66 loss to Iona in their last game. Maxwell Lewis leads the Waves in scoring with 19.4 PPG along with 5.9 RPG and 2.7 APG while Houston Mallette has 13.4 PPG with 4 RPG and 3.2 APG this season. Mike Mitchell Jr. has 10.9 PPG with a team-high 4.6 APG to leads the Waves in the assist department. Jevon Porter has 10.5 PPG with a team-high 7.5 RPG to round out the group of double-digit scorers for Pepperdine as the Waves’ top rebounder up to this point in the year. As a team, Pepperdine is averaging 77.9 PPG on 46.6% shooting from the field, 38% from three and 69.1% from the foul line this season.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs will be out to add to their 120-40 rout of subdivision Eastern Oregon last time out. Drew Timme leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 21.8 PPG and 8.2 RPG while Julian Strawther has 12.9 PPG and 7.7 RPG. Rasir Bolton has 10.6 PPG to cap off the trio of double-digit scorers for Gonzaga so far this season and Nolan Hickman has a team-high 3.8 APG as well this year. As a team, Gonzaga is averaging 85.1 PPG on 51.9% shooting from the field, 37.5% from three and 71.8% from the foul line this season.
Pepperdine is 0-5 ATS in their last 5 road games and 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games against a team with a winning percentage above .600 while the over is 4-0 in their last 4 road games against a team with a winning home record. Gonzaga is 2-13-3 ATS in their last 18 games following a win and 0-5 ATS in their last 5 home games against a team with a losing road record while the over is 38-15 int heir last 53 Saturday games.
I get the case to be made for Pepperdine as a sizeable dog here as the Zags just haven’t felt like the same imposing lineup we’re used to seeing year in and year out. That being said, the Zags are starting to pick it up offensively and I’m just not sure I trust Pepperdine to be able to slow down Gonzaga here considering that the Zags are scoring well into the 90s in a lot of the recent meetings between these two. Give me Gonzaga here.
