Houston vs. Gonzaga March Madness Preview and Prediction
In the No. 1 vs. No. 8 matchup in the NCAA Tournament Midwest Region, the Houston Cougars face the Gonzaga Bulldogs in second-round action.
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How to Watch Houston vs. Gonzaga
When: 8:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 22nd
Where: INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, KS
Watch: TNT
Odds for Houston vs. Gonzaga
(odds current at time of publish)
Spread: Houston -5.5 (-110), Gonzaga +5.5 (-110)
Total: Over 140.5 (-110), Under 140.5 (-110)
DraftKings Betting Splits | Live College Basketball Odds | Houston vs. Gonzaga Matchup Page
Houston vs. Gonzaga Preview & Prediction
A game that would be better suited for the Elite Eight or maybe even Final Four will bring Houston and Gonzaga together. Nothing happened in the first round to alter the rankings of Ken Pomeroy, as we have two top-10 teams squaring off for a berth in the Sweet 16.
Gonzaga pummeled Georgia, as the Bulldogs opened up a 21-point lead by halftime, as they shot 59% and Georgia shot just 28%. The ‘Zags are definitely an under-seeded team if you go by KenPom’s rankings, but wins and losses matter in that equation, too. Gonzaga went 4-6 in Quadrant 1 games and will play a Quadrant 1-A game against Houston. They are 1-2 in those games, with a win over Saint Mary’s in the WCC Tournament to go with losses to Saint Mary’s on the road and Kentucky on a neutral in overtime.
Houston basically played a scrimmage against SIU Edwardsville, holding the Cougars to .634 points per possession and 2-of-24 from 3. For good measure, Houston had 1.237 PPP, as they went 10-of-28 from deep, so they clearly felt comfortable on the floor in Wichita. It also makes sense that Houston would fire away so well from 3. The one main difference between this Kelvin Sampson team and the ones of the past is that this one is shooting nearly 40% from deep. This is still not a good 2-point offense and the health of J’Wan Roberts is a question, as he played 20 minutes against SIU, but only had six points and three rebounds after missing the semifinals and finals of the Big 12 Tournament.
While Houston has made some strides with their 3-point shooting, Gonzaga is largely the same team that we’re used to seeing, in that they’re very good on both ends of the floor and extremely well-coached by Mark Few. However, somewhat ironically, this is a Bulldogs bunch that has struggled to shoot from deep. This is the first Few team outside the top 100 in 3P% since 2010. That team, also a No. 8 seed, lost in the second round to No. 1 Syracuse.
After going 5-of-32 from 3 in the two WCC Tournament games, Gonzaga started 8-of-11 against Georgia, so maybe the Bulldogs’ shooters got a little confidence going. That would be a big boost facing off against one of the nation’s best interior defenses.
Estimated Score: Houston 72, Gonzaga 67
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