Memphis Tigers vs Gonzaga Bulldogs Betting Preview
The top-seeded team in this year’s NCAA tournament will be back in action Saturday night as the No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs (27-3) square off with the No. 9 Memphis Tigers (22-10). This game will be played at the Moda Center, with tipoff scheduled for 9:40 pm ET.
Playing in the Western region, the winner of this game will square off with the winner of No. 4 Arkansas and No. 12 New Mexico State next Thursday.
Memphis was able to take down No. 8 Boise State 64-53 in their opening round on Thursday. In the win, DeAndre Williams had a team-high 14 points, while Jalen Duren had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
For Gonzaga, they got off to a sluggish start against No. 16 Georgia State in their opener. At halftime, the Bulldogs only led by two points; however, in the second half, they outscored the Panthers 58-39.
In the win, Drew Timme had a game-high 32 points while also adding 13 rebounds. Chet Holgrem also had a double-double with 19 points and 17 boards.
Gonzaga is the heavy favorite in this one. They are -650 to win while the Tigers’ moneyline sits at +460. The spread features Memphis +10 (-110), and the over/under for total points is 155.5.
More Odds
The Bulldogs still have the best odds of winning the National Championship at +240. The Tigers are +15000 to win it all.
By The Numbers
Gonzaga has the best offense in the nation. They sit atop the rankings in scoring, averaging 88 points per game. The Tigers rank 53rd as they are averaging 75.1 points per game.
Defensively, Gonzaga again has the advantage. They rank 56th in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 65.7 points per game. Memphis ranks 126th, allowing 67.9 points.
Memphis Trying To Win As The Underdog
The Memphis Tigers come into this game having won seven of their last eight games, but they are going to have to step up their play even more as they take on the top-ranked Bulldogs. When playing as underdogs, they are 7-1 against the spread, but the Tigers don’t want to just cover; they want to move onto the Sweet 16.
Leading Memphis’ offense is freshman center Jalen Duren. The 6’11” big man is averaging 12.1 points on 61.3 percent shooting. He is also pulling down 8.2 rebounds and swatting 2.1 blocks per game.
Other capable scorers for the Tigers include DeAndre Williams (11 points, 5.7 rebounds), Lester Quinones (10 points, 3.4 rebounds), Emoni Bates (9.9 points, 3.4 rebounds), and Landers Nolley II (9.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists).
Gonzaga Looking For Stronger Start
It took Gonzaga a half before they realized how much more dominant than Georgia State they were on Thursday. Expect the Bulldogs to focus on having a much faster start to this game on Saturday.
Junior forward Drew Timme is arguably one of the best players in the country, and he has certainly played the part this year. He is averaging 18 points to lead the Bulldogs on 59 percent shooting. He is also adding 6.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.
The crazy part of Gonzaga’s offense is that they have five players averaging double digits. In addition to Timme, Chet Holmgren (14.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.7 blocks), Julian Strawther (12 points, 5.4 rebounds), Andrew Nembhard (11.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.9 assists), and Rasir Bolton (11.1 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists) have been fantastic.
Take The Bulldogs To Win And Cover
There is a reason that Gonzaga got the top seed in the entire tournament. They are sensational at both ends of the floor, and they have one of the deepest and most lethal rosters in college basketball.
Memphis certainly has the talent to keep this close early, but expect Gonzaga to pull away late, just like they did in their opening round.
Take Gonzaga to both win and cover the 10-point spread.
