Gonzaga Bulldogs (11-5) vs. Pepperdine Waves (9-10)
January 18, 2024 10:00 pm EDT
The Line: Pepperdine Waves +14; Over/Under: +157.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Gonzaga Bulldogs and the Pepperdine Waves meet Thursday in college basketball action from Firestone Fieldhouse. Gonzaga is 11-5 on the year and coming off a loss to Santa Clara last week. As for Pepperdine, they fell to San Diego over the weekend which dropped the Waves to 9-10 overall. Let’s get into our Gonzaga vs. Pepperdine prediction. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Gonzaga Bulldogs
The Bulldogs started out the year on a 7-1 run with only a loss to Purdue mixed in. Since then it’s been a sketchy 4-4 run however, with losses to Washington, UConn, San Diego State and Santa Clara alongside wins over MS Valley State, Jackson State, Pepperdine and San Diego.
Last Thursday versus Santa Clara, Gonzaga took another tough loss. After falling behind 40-34 in the first half, the Bulldogs recovered on a 42-37 run but still fell 77-76. Leading the team in the losing effort was Anton Watson with 32 points, nine rebounds and six steals in 40 minutes of action. Gonzaga will face San Diego and San Francisco after this game.
Pepperdine Waves
Over on the Waves’ side, they went just 5-8 over their first 13 games with wins over Concordia-Irvine, Lafayette, LIU, Idaho State and UC San Diego. Pepperdine is 4-2 in their last six games though, beating William & Mary, Westcliff, Pacific and San Diego along the way.
Back on Saturday in the San Diego matchup, the Waves took a 48-35 deficit into the locker room. Pepperdine surged in the second half on a 48-29 run however, taking a comeback win 83-77. Michael Ajayi doubled on 24 points and 12 rebounds, while Houston Mallette added 23 points and five assists.
ANDREW’S FREE GONZAGA VS PEPPERDINE PREDICTION
I’m going to stay with Gonzaga. The Bulldogs really need to bounce back with a strong performance after the loss to Santa Clara, though. In that one, Gonzaga was ice cold from outside with 10 percent 3-point shooting (2-of-20) and got out-rebounded 44-31. The good news for the Bulldogs is that they’ve hit 74 or more points in five straight games and beat Pepperdine 86-60 the last time these teams met up on January 4.
In the matchup earlier this month, Gonzaga shot very well (56.1 percent) and hit eight of 19 attempts from outside (42.1 percent) alongside a 41-31 rebounding advantage. The Bulldogs are going to need another good all-around effort in this rematch, but I think they can do it.
