Gonzaga will be playing a “home” game Friday night at Climate Pledge Arena in a rematch of last season’s Elite 8 matchup in which UConn ended the careers of veterans like Drew Timme, Julian Strawther, and Rasir Bolton.
UConn won 82-54 in Las Vegas, handing the Bulldogs their worst loss in years.
Mark Few’s Bulldogs have made a habit of testing themselves in non-conference play over the past few years as they've grown into a national power despite the mid-major label. They started 5-3 last season with a more experienced group and are 8-2 this time around heading into this Continental Tire Seattle Tip-Off.
Handicapping UConn vs. Gonzaga odds requires weighing how polished you think both teams are just weeks into the season’s second month. Both have suffered massive personnel losses of mainstays who anchored the program for years, so both Danny Hurley and Few have to figure some things out before play in their respective conferences begins.
Both teams are talented enough to again make a deep run in March, and it will be interesting to see how the Huskies handle a hostile atmosphere as they’ve mostly played at or near campus, or at Madison Square Garden, and fell at Allen Fieldhouse in their lone true road game.
They’re not playing this in Spokane’s Kennel, but Gonzaga’s fans will travel better for this matchup since it’s a four-hour drive and not a cross-country flight. Gonzaga has regularly played at this arena, best known as the former home of the SuperSonics, over the years.
We’ll learn a little more about both college basketball powers when all is said and done.
UConn vs. Gonzaga odds: Point spread, moneyline, total
Here are the latest college basketball betting odds for the Huskies vs. Bulldogs:
UConn betting news: Huskies back on track after Kansas loss
Defending champion UConn has rebounded nicely after losing for the first time in months at Kansas on Dec. 1. The Huskies were unable to overcome a poor shooting night in their only true road game of the season but got back on track with an 87-76 win over North Carolina in the Jimmy V Classic and blew out Arkansas-Pine Bluff 101-63 last weekend.
The Huskies are riding their backcourt of grad transfers Tristen Newton and Cam Spencer, who have each taken turns leading the team in scoring and assists, which has allowed top recruit Stephon Castle to work his way back from a knee injury. He’s shown flashes of brilliance in his two games since returning and should be increasingly part of the team’s success going forward.
UConn (9-1 SU, 6-4 ATS) shot over 51 percent against North Carolina and out-rebounded a team led by one of the nation’s top rebounders, Armando Bacot, 43-33. The Huskies will look to handle business on the glass against a Zags team that has quality size in what should be one of this contest’s biggest determining factors.
7-foot-2 Donovan Clingan and 6-foot-10 Samson Johnson have teamed up to anchor the UConn defense and help control the paint, adequately replacing Adama Sonogo, one of the nation’s top post players a season ago.
The Huskies have also defeated Indiana and Texas in addition to the Tar Heels in their most challenging games to date and have notched all their wins by double-digits.
Although their bigs are suspect free-throw shooters, Newton and Spencer are both excellent from the stripe, which helps cover spreads down the stretch when teams attempt to trim deficits via the foul game.
UConn will head home from the West Coast after this one to open Big East play at Seton Hall next Wednesday before playing their home opener on Saturday against Rick Pitino’s St. John’s Red Storm.
More college hoops: Best NCAA basketball betting apps | Latest sports betting promos and bonuses
Gonzaga betting news: Bulldogs look to avoid scoring lulls
The Bulldogs (8-2 SU, 4-5 ATS) failed to cover a 41.5-point spread against Mississippi Valley State their last time out, but responded after blowing an 11-point halftime lead in an upset loss to Washington. U-Dub has long been surpassed by the Zags as the top team in the state, and the Bulldogs had won 14 of 15 minutes between the programs, including seven in succession.
We’ll see if scoring lulls become an issue with Gonzaga, but it went 6:12 without scoring, and managed just two field goals in the final 11:40 against Washington, missing 11 of its last 12 shots in seeing a 16-game win streak against Pac-12 foes come to an end.
The Bulldogs were held to 63 points in a 10-point loss to Purdue in the Maui Invitational on Nov. 20 where they also ran out of gas down the stretch, but have defeated UCLA and Syracuse out in Hawaii while also beating USC in Las Vegas.
This season’s Bulldogs are led by Seattle native Nolan Hickman, grad student Anton Watson, transfer point guard Ryan Nembhard (Creighton) and transfer center Graham Ike (Wyoming).
Redshirt freshman forward Graham Huff has had a few big games off the bench, but depth took a hit when Eastern Washington transfer Steele Venters suffered a season-ending ACL injury last month.
Shooting 5-for-24 from 3-point range against MVSU wasn’t a great sign and illustrates how much they’ll miss Venters contributions.
Few felt his team just didn’t trust each other and tried to force too much in their second-half collapse against Washington, so this will be an excellent test.
The Zags will end 2023 at home against San Diego State before West Coast Conference play begins in the new year.
Related: Best March Madness betting sites and promos
UConn vs. Gonzaga prop picks
Gonzaga doesn’t have a true go-to scorer just yet, and even though Nembhard probably needs to score more and shoot it better to help truly boost Gonzaga, it’s in his nature to get others involved first and foremost. He’s always been a pass-first point guard, and the number in the betting market on points scored in this game has been set at 12.5, a figure Nembhard has only surpassed three times in his 10 games. Ride the under on his scoring figure.
On the UConn side, I recommend taking the high side on Clingan’s rebounding total. The number of 6.5 was available at FanDuel upon release as of Friday morning, and that’s a figure he’s eclipsed on six occasions.
Clingan managed to play just 13 minutes against Texas and 19 minutes at North Carolina due in part to foul trouble, but if he’s capable of staying on the floor, he’ll continue improving and have a monster season. Heading into conference play next week, this is a big stepping stone for Clingan. Look for the sophomore to have a solid game on the glass.
UConn vs. Gonzaga prediction
Gonzaga will definitely have more fans in attendance, so UConn will need its veteran backcourt to be poised.
There are very real issues with the Bulldogs’ offense early in the season, and the Huskies won’t aid their cause since they’re sound defensively. They’ve shown their capable of sputtering in their lone loss, so don’t be surprised to see this game wind up lower-scoring than expected.
Pick: UNDER
If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Learn more >