The Kennesaw State Owls and the Gonzaga Bulldogs meet Thursday in NCAA Tournament First Round college basketball action from Moda Center in Portland. Here’s a Gonzaga vs. Kennesaw State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Gonzaga vs. Kennesaw State pick.
Kennesaw State Owls Betting Preview
The Owls were sitting at 12-6 overall back on January 17, then hit a rough 2-5 stretch featuring losses to Sam Houston, LA Tech, Jacksonville State, Middle Tennessee and Sam Houston. After wins over Missouri State, LA Tech, Liberty and Delaware, the Owls lost to UTEP and New Mexico State. In the conference tournament, Kennesaw State dispatched Western Kentucky, Sam Houston and LA Tech for the championship.
Matched up against LA Tech back on Saturday, the Owls came back out onto the floor after the break with a 35-32 lead. Kennesaw State hit a 36-28 run the rest of the way, powering out the victory in the end 71-60. The Owls were led by Jaden Harris with 18 points and three boards, while Amir Taylor added 17 points with six rebounds and two steals alongside one assist.
Gonzaga Bulldogs Betting Preview
Over on the Gonzaga side, they were just coming off a nice 16-game winning streak in early February, beating teams like Kentucky, UCLA and Oregon during that time. The Bulldogs lost to Portland, then beat Oregon State, Washington State, Santa Clara, San Francisco, Pacific and Portland before a loss to Saint Mary’s. Gonzaga beat Oregon State and Santa Clara in the conference tournament.
In the matchup with Santa Clara last Tuesday, the Bulldogs were in the locker room at the break with a 33-29 deficit. Gonzaga fought back from there on a 50-35 stretch and took the win in the end, 79-68. Leading the team in scoring was Mario Saint-Supery with 21 points, five rebounds and four assists. Tyon Grant-Foster added 20 points with seven rebounds and two assists.
Why the Gonzaga Bulldogs will win
- Gonzaga has won each of its last 25 night games against non-AP-ranked opponents at a neutral venue.
- Kennesaw State has lost each of its last five Thursday games against non-Conference opponents.
- Gonzaga has won the first half in 16 of its last 17 games as an AP-ranked team against a non-AP-ranked team at neutral venues.
Why the Kennesaw State Owls will win
- Kennesaw State has won four of its last five night games.
- Gonzaga has lost three of its last four NCAA Tournament night games.
- Kennesaw State has won the first half in five of its last six night games.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Kennesaw State’s last eight games against non-Conference opponents has produced a total of 161+ points.
- Each of Gonzaga’s last six games has produced a total of 147 or fewer points.
Matchup/League Facts
- Gonzaga ranks 1st among Division 1 teams for field goals made per game this season (32.7).
- Gonzaga ranks 2nd among Division 1 teams for point differential per game this season (+19.7).
- Kennesaw State ranks 364th among Division 1 teams for opponent free throws made per game this season (20.3).
- Kennesaw State ranks 5th among Division 1 teams for free throw attempts per game this season (26.6).
Gonzaga vs Kennesaw State Prediction
I’ll stay with the Bulldogs. Gonzaga started out slowly against Santa Clara in their last outing but finished strong on an eventual 52.8 percent shooting, a 36-24 edge in the paint and just eight turnovers. It wasn’t perfect though, as the Bulldogs shot just 13-of-23 (56.5 percent) at the line. The 38.2 percent shooting surrendered on defense helped make up for it, though. Gonzaga has had a few lapses this year but overall they’ve been a pretty consistent team. The Bulldogs are 8-1 in their last nine outings, but it’s worth noting that they’ve scored fewer than 66 points in two of the last three.
As for Kennesaw State, they shot 43.1 percent from the field while holding LA Tech to just 30.6 percent on defense in their tournament championship. The Owls were outmuscled on the boards and outscored in the paint, though. Kennesaw State is 7-2 in their last nine games with 71 or more points scored in eight of those. Gonzaga will mark a big uptick in competition, though.