After suffering their only loss of the NCAA betting season to BYU just a few days ago, the Gonzaga Bulldogs fell from their No. 1 nationwide ranking down to No. 4. Don’t get it wrong, No.4 in the nation is still something to hang your hat on, but seeing your school drop three rankings is never a pleasant affair. With the start of the March Madness betting season just days away, the Bulldogs will be looking to make a resurgence back up the rankings, in order to snag a more auspicious seeding. There’s not much time left, but given how dangerous Gonzaga has been all season long, it would be ill-advised to rule out the Bulldogs.
The Bulldogs will take to the court Monday night to prove their dominance against a meager opponent. Gonzaga is set to face the Santa Clara Broncos, an unranked team from the West Coast Conference (WCC). This pairing will mark the third and final time both of these teams have squared off this season, with the Bulldogs walking away victorious the first two. That, coupled with the extreme differences between these two programs, will likely lead the sportsbooks to paint the Bulldogs as absolute favorites over the Broncos. Let’s take a look at what the bookies have to say about this matchup.
ONLINE NCAA BETTING ODDS – REGULAR SEASON – Monday, March 6th
Gonzaga Bulldogs -20 (-110) 136 (-110) -4000
Santa Clara Broncos +20 (-110) 136 (-110) +2000
As expected, the bookies are not giving the Broncos a fighting chance this Monday night. Santa Clara enters this contest flashing a 17-15 record that includes a 10-8 record in conference play. That record ranks the Bulldogs 5th in the WCC, 7 games behind conference-leading Gonzaga. Overall, the Broncos are currently averaging 66.8 points per game which ranks their offense as the 309th best in the nation. Santa Clara is also allowing 65.0 points per contest, which places their defense as the 36th best in the country.
The sportsbooks underdogs will turn to leading point-scorer Jared Brownridge to lead them Monday night. Brownridge is currently putting up 17.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game. Second in points for the Broncos is KJ Feagin who is netting the school 14.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per matchup.
The Bulldogs come into this contest with their nearly unblemished record of 30-1 which, as aforementioned, ranks Gonzaga 1st in the conference. Furthermore, the Bulldogs come into Monday night’s matchup with a 17-1 conference record, but have gone 2-1 in their last three games. Gonzaga will be looking to prove that they are the rightful favorites to win the national title later on this evening.
The online NCAA betting favorites will turn to leading point-scorer Nigel Williams-Goss to help lead them over their weaker conference opponent. Williams-Goss is currently draining 16.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per matchup for Gonzaga. Second in points for the Bulldogs is Przemek Karnowski and his averages of 12.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per contest.
