Gonzaga vs North Alabama 12/28/21 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The North Alabama Lions will travel to the McCarthey Athletic Center to take on the 4^th ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs this Tuesday night in College Basketball action.

The North Alabama Lions dropped to 7-5 on the season after being defeated by the UCF Knights, 75-64, this past Wednesday night. North Alabama trailed by a 43-36 margin at halftime and could not fight back after the Knights took a 66-57 lead with 7:26 left in regulation. North Alabama shot 42.4% from the field & 39.4% from beyond the arc while allowing UCF to shoot 50.0% from the field & 14.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Lions was Jamari Blackmon who had 17 points, 5 assists, & 1 steal.

On the season, North Alabama is averaging 74.6 ppg on 41.7% shooting from the field. The Lions are averaging 10.3 three-pointers per game on 35.7% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, North Alabama has been led by Daniel Ortez (10.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.7 apg, 1.2 spg), Jamari Blackmon (9.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.3 spg), C.J. Brim (9.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.2 spg), & Isaac Chatman (5.8 ppg, 4.4 rpg).

Defensively, North Alabama is holding their opponents to an average of 58.8 ppg on 36.1% shooting from the field. The Lions have a rebound margin of 1.6 and a turnover margin of 5.2.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs won their 3^rd straight game and improved to 10-2 on the season after defeating the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks, 95-49, on December 20^th. Gonzaga dominated Northern Arizona on both ends of the court and had no trouble securing the victory after taking a 48-30 lead into halftime. Gonzaga shot 55.0% from the field & 45.5% from beyond the arc while holding Northern Arizona to just 32.3% shooting from the field & 22.7% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bulldogs was Chet Holmgren who had 20 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, & 3 blocks.

On the season, Gonzaga is averaging 85.0 ppg on 52.4% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs are averaging 8.0 three-pointers per game on 34.9% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Gonzaga has been led by Drew Timme (17.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.2 apg), Chet Holmgren (13.3 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 2.3 apg, 3.7 bpg), Julian Strawther (13.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg), & Rasir Bolton (10.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.2 apg).

Defensively, Gonzaga is holding their opponents to an average of 62.5 ppg on 37.8% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs have a rebound margin of 11.2 and a turnover margin of 0.6.

The Lions are 5-0-1 ATS in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a winning home record, however, are just 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up loss. The Bulldogs are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight up win of more than 20 points, however, are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games after allowing less than 50 points in their previous game.

Northern Alabama has been a team that has been able to pick up some wins behind a defense that has had success against lower-tier teams, however, this is still a team that lost to Mississippi State & Auburn by 26-points each and has an offense that can struggle to score the basketball. Gonzaga is one of the best teams in College Basketball, coming into this game ranked 8^th in scoring offense, 2^nd in FG%, & 16^th in defensive FG% and after seeing Gonzaga keep their foot on the pedal in their 46-point victory over Northern Arizona recently, I think Gonzaga does enough in this one to cover this large spread. Good Luck!