Gonzaga Bulldogs vs UConn Huskies Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 12/14/2024

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Saturday, December 14, 2024

Venue:  Madison Square Garden, New York, NY

Where to Watch:  FOX

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Gonzaga -3.5, UConn +3.5; Over/Under:  151.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Gonzaga -3.5, UConn +3.5; Over/Under:  151.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Gonzaga -3.5, UConn +3.5; Over/Under:  151.5 points

Gonzaga Bulldogs:  7-2 (0-0) (4th place, WCC)

UConn Huskies:  7-3 (0-0) (7th place, Big East)

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Gonzaga Bulldogs:  3-2  last 5

UConn Huskies:  3-2  last 5

Gonzaga is entering this game with a 7-2 record overall, a 0-0 record in conference games, and they are 2-2 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Kentucky Wildcats in their last game. Graham Ike led the team in points per game in that game with 28 while Ben Gregg was next on the team with 14. Ryan Nembhard led the team in assists with 10 in that game while Graham Ike led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 46.5% from the field, 22.2% from 3-point range, and 70.8% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 90.2 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 68.8 PPG against them. Gonzaga has an ATS record of 6-3 this season and their O/U record is 7-2.

UConn is entering this game with a 7-3 record overall, a 0-0 conference record, and they are 0-3 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Texas Longhorns in their last game. Alex Karaban led the team in points in that game with 21 while Solo Ball was next on the team with 16. Hassan Diarra led the team in assists with 11 in that game while Alex Karaban led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 51.9% from the field, 45% from 3-point range, and 68.8% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 84.2 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 64.3 PPG against them. UConn has an ATS record of 5-4-1 this season and their O/U record is 5-4-1.

The current betting odds have UConn listed as a 3.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. UConn has looked good in their games this season with their 7-3 record overall, but that record has them right near the bottom of the Big East with 3 losses already. This game is at a neutral site and UConn has looked terrible in those games this season, going 0-3 in their neutral site games, but all 3 of those losses came in the Maui tournament which was a complete disaster for them. They have looked a lot better since that tournament and they are going to have some momentum off a big road win over Texas in their last one. Meanwhile, Gonzaga has looked good in their games this season with their 7-2 record overall which has them near the top of the WCC, but they have also struggled in their neutral site games this year. They are 2-2 in their neutral site games and they are coming off a loss in their last one, losing a tough game to Kentucky by 1 point. They also have a loss to West Virginia in their last 5 games and they are starting to show some cracks after their great start. UConn struggled in that one tournament, but they are still the defending champions and are starting to roll teams in their games again. Gonzaga is fresh off a loss to a ranked team in their last one and this is not an easy trip for them to make either, UConn not needing to travel much for this one. The best way to place a bet here is on UConn to cover the spread in this game. 

Gonzaga UConn Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Saturday, December 14, 2024 (8:00 pm ET start time) is UConn 93 Gonzaga 89.

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Gonzaga Bulldogs: 0-3 ATS against Big East conference opponents. 17-24 ATS after scoring 85 points or more. 12-19 ATS versus good rebounding teams - outrebounding opponents by 4+ per game. 21-10 UNDER versus good rebounding teams - outrebounding opponents by 4+ per game. 20-12 UNDER when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 80%). 

UConn Huskies: 61-28 ATS in all games. 22-5 ATS in all neutral court games. 17-7 ATS after successfully covering the spread in 3 or more consecutive games. 28-13 ATS versus very good teams - outscoring their opponents by 8+ points/game. 16-8 UNDER after successfully covering the spread in 3 or more consecutive games. 10-5 UNDER when the total is 150 to 159.5. 

Gonzaga Bulldogs:  None.

UConn Huskies:  None.

"The big thing is we’re in final exams week, so you’re just trying to find the practice times to manage everything and squeeze in the work on the court. It starts with that, and it was a tough, hard-fought game. We got back late, so we’ve tried to mix in a little rest, and we’ll start to ramp up the work again once the finals get less arduous.” - Mark Few on his team preparing for this game against UK.

“Everything that happened on the Hawaii trip was jarring for the program but the response since we’ve returned to the mainland speaks to the culture and the championship DNA.” - Dan Hurley on bouncing back from the Maui tournament.

M. Ajayi 

K. Battle 

N. Hickman 

G. Ike 

R. Nembhard

S. Ball 

S. Johnson 

A. Karaban 

A. Mahaney 

L. McNeeley

PPG: G. Ike (15.3)

APG: R. Nembhard (10.7)

Reb/G: G. Ike (7)

PPG: A. Karaban (16.5)

APG: H. Diarra (5.6)

Reb/G: T. Reed (8.2)

Coaches:

Gonzaga Bulldogs: Mark Few (26th season)

UConn Huskies: Dan Hurley (7th season)