Kentucky Wildcats vs Gonzaga Bulldogs Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 12/07/2024

Game Time: 10:00 pm ET, Friday, December 7, 2024

Venue:  Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle, WA 

Where to Watch:  ESPN2

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Kentucky +4.5, Gonzaga -4.5; Over/Under:  164.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Kentucky +4.5, Gonzaga -4.5; Over/Under:  164.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Kentucky +4.5, Gonzaga -4.5; Over/Under:  164.5 points

Kentucky Wildcats:  7-1 (0-0) (6th place, SEC)

Gonzaga Bulldogs:  7-1 (0-0) (2nd place, WCC)

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Kentucky Wildcats:  4-1  last 5

Gonzaga Bulldogs:  4-1  last 5

Kentucky is entering this game with a 7-1 record overall, a 0-0 record in conference games, and they are 1-0 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Clemson Tigers in their last game. Otega Oweh led the team in points per game in that game with 17 while Lamont Butler was next on the team with 16. Lamont Butler led the team in assists with 5 in that game while Amari Williams led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 38.1% from the field, 25.9% from 3-point range, and 61.1% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 92.9 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 68.4 PPG against them. Kentucky has an ATS record of 4-4 this season and their O/U record is 5-3.

Gonzaga is entering this game with a 7-1 record overall, a 0-0 conference record, and they are 2-1 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Davidson Wildcats in their last game. Ben Gregg led the team in points in that game with 24 while Graham Ike was next on the team with 18. Ryan Nembhard led the team in assists with 14 in that game while Graham Ike led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 54.7% from the field, 37.5% from 3-point range, and 93.3% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 90.4 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 66.1 PPG against them. Gonzaga has an ATS record of 6-2 this season and their O/U record is 6-2.

The current betting odds have Gonzaga listed as a 4.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Gonzaga has looked really good in their games this season with their 7-1 record overall which has them right near the top of the WCC and also ranked inside the top 25. They are coming off a win in their last one and they have looked good at neutral sites this season with their 2-1 record in those games, but they have also looked great on their home court and even though this game isn't in their home building, it is still going to feel more like a home game for Gonzaga. Meanwhile, Kentucky has looked good in their games this season with their 7-1 record overall which has them near the top of the SEC and also ranked inside the top 25. They have only played 1 neutral site game this year and they won that game, but they are also coming off a loss to Clemson in their last one which was their only road game played this season, and this game is going to feel more like a road game with it being in Seattle. Gonzaga already has some good wins under their belt this season and they have embarrassed some ranked teams too. Kentucky struggled in their last game on the road against Clemson and Clemson is good, but they don't have elite talent like Gonzaga has as one of the best in the nation. Kentucky will be looking to bounce back, but Gonzaga will be looking to take down another ranked team here and the location of this game isn't going to help Kentucky out at all. The best way to place a bet here is on Gonzaga to cover the spread in this game. 

Kentucky Gonzaga Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Friday, December 7, 2024 (10:00 pm ET start time) is Gonzaga 94 Kentucky 86.

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Kentucky Wildcats: 10-4 ATS as an underdog. 10-4 ATS off an upset loss as a favorite. 12-7 ATS after 1 or more consecutive losses. 49-26 OVER in all games. 23-14 OVER in non-conference games. 15-4 OVER after playing a road game.

Gonzaga Bulldogs: 12-25 ATS after a win by 15 points or more. 17-23 ATS after scoring 85 points or more. 13-20 ATS versus good defensive teams - shooting pct defense of 42% or less. 26-16 OVER in non-conference games. 6-2 OVER versus up-tempo teams averaging 62 or more shots/game.

Kentucky Wildcats:  None.

Gonzaga Bulldogs:  None.

“I’m really familiar with them, coach (Few) is really familiar with me and the way we try to approach the game. We’ve had some epic battles, and he’s come out on the winning side of too many of those. Hopefully we’ll start to even that out a little bit, but certainly there is a lot of familiarity for sure between the two coaches.” - Mark Pope on his team’s upcoming game against Gonzaga this week.

“They are real handsy on defense, especially Lamont Butler. He took that tenacity from over there in San Diego State. So I feel like he's brought a different energy to the Kentucky guards on sitting down and taking pride in playing defense so, all props to him. That's my guy as well." - Nolan Hickman on facing Kentucky in their next game. 

L. Butler 

A. Carr 

O. Oweh 

J. Robinson 

A. Williams

M. Ajayi 

K. Battle 

N. Hickman 

G. Ike 

R. Nembhard

PPG: O. Oweh (16)

APG: L. Butler (3.9)

Reb/G: A. Williams (10.1)

PPG: G. Ike (13.8)

APG: R. Nembhard (10.8)

Reb/G: G. Ike (6.5)

Coaches:

Kentucky Wildcats: Mark Pope (1st season)

Gonzaga Bulldogs: Mark Few (26th season)