Gonzaga vs. Kansas March Madness Preview and Prediction

In a No. 5 vs. No. 4 matchup in the NCAA Tournament Midwest Region, the Gonzaga Bulldogs face the Kansas Jayhawks in second-round action.

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How to Watch Gonzaga vs. Kansas

When: 3:15 pm ET on Saturday, March 23rd

Where: Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah

Watch: CBS

Odds for Gonzaga vs. Kansas

(odds current at time of publish)

Spread: Gonzaga -3.5

Total: 151.5

DraftKings Betting Splits | Live College Basketball Odds | Gonzaga vs. Kansas Matchup

Midwest Region No. 5 Gonzaga Bulldogs

This year’s Gonzaga team lacked the consistency we’re used to in a Mark Few-led program. It’s also a rather thin rotation, with Few really only trusting seven guys. But there isn’t a team in the nation that will feel good about drawing the Bulldogs. The Zags are a top-10 team when it comes to offensive efficiency, and they’re not bad defensively. Gonzaga also rarely turns the basketball over and really values each possession. It’s also hard not to like that the Zags have a good backcourt in Ryan Nembhard and Nolan Hickman. Good guard play is crucial in March. They also have a versatile frontcourt pairing in Graham Ike and Anton Watson. 

Midwest Region No. 4 Kansas Jayhawks

For the first time under Bill Self, the Jayhawks entered the NCAA tournament with 10 losses. But that doesn’t mean that this isn’t a good basketball team. Kansas had some bad injury luck down the stretch, with Hunter Dickinson and Kevin McCullar Jr. being banged up. Dickinson is back for the Jayhawks, but McCullar is out for the year. Still, this is a top-10 team when it comes to defensive efficiency, and they have some offensive versatility. Dickinson gives them the ability to bang down low, K.J Adams Jr. is a good, athletic forward, and Johnny Furphy is a lights out 3-point shooter. Kansas also happens to be led by point guard Dajuan Harris Jr., who helped lead this team to a national championship two years ago. On top of all of that, Self is one of the brightest X’s-and-O’s coaches in America.

Gonzaga vs. Kansas Preview & Prediction

With the help of a very questionable call late in the game, Kansas had enough to hang on to a 93-89 win over Samford on Thursday. Hunter Dickinson had 19 points and 20 rebounds in the game. He was a dominant presence all night long, and Johnny Furphy, KJ Adams Jr. and Dajuan Harris Jr. combined to score 49 points. But the real difference might have been an unlikely 19 points from Nicholas Timberlake. Kansas needed him to step up with Kevin McCullar Jr. out. But beating Gonzaga will be a totally different challenge.

Dickinson was able to really bully the Samford bigs inside, but Gonzaga has some size on the interior. Graham Ike is a massive body that should be able to bang with Dickinson around the basket. And Anton Watson can help him as a weak-side shotblocker. The rebounding might also be a problem for the Jayhawks. Dickinson can put up big numbers for Kansas on the stat sheet, but this is a mediocre team when it comes to cleaning the glass. Gonzaga is somewhere between above-average and good. That’s an edge to the Zags in one of the most important aspects of the game.

On top of that, it’s highly unlikely Timberlake will flirt with 20 points again. He had an underwhelming season for Kansas, so it’s hard to envision him playing well two games in a row. That means the Jayhawks will need more production elsewhere, but where is it coming from? Furphy is a very good 3-point shooter, but he needs his shots to be created for him. And Adams is somewhat similar, but he does his damage as a play finisher. Perhaps it’ll be Harris that rises to the occasion. He has been here before. But the Zags backcourt should get the better of the Jayhawks backcourt. Ryan Nembhard and Nolan Hickman are a dynamic duo.

As for the total in this game, things should be interesting. Neither one of these teams plays at a fast pace or shoots a ton of 3s, but they can still play relatively high-scoring games. That’s because they both execute at such a high level in the half court. But overall, it’s a tough one to call.

Estimated Score: Coming soon.

For expert predictions, go to our college basketball best bets page.

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