The No.1 Gonzaga Bulldogs have not only become increasingly popular march madness betting favorites but are also heavily favored by fans who will surely bet on march madness to beat the San Francisco Dons tonight at McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, Washington.
San Francisco +22 (-110) 143 (-110) +3500
Gonzaga -22 (-110) 143 (-110) -8500
The undefeated Bulldogs picked up their 26th straight win of the season – and 14th in conference play – against St. Mary’s on Saturday. Przemek Karnowski had 19 points, Johnathan Williams scored 17 and Nigel Williams-Goss added 14 for Gonzaga’s 18th straight win by double-figures. The two teams traded 9-0 runs early before the Bulldogs outscored the Gaels 17-2 late in the half. St. Mary’s scored the final six points to pull within 40-31 at halftime, but the Gales never came closer than five points in the second half. Gonzaga made 10 consecutive shots at one point in the first half and shot 55.3% overall. The visit to Saint Mary’s was considered by experts who bet on March madness as the last remaining hurdle in the Bulldogs’ road to the postseason. Gonzaga should be heavily favored the rest of the regular season starting with San Francisco. In March madness betting news, The Bulldogs were seeded 4th overall in the preliminary rankings for the NCAA tournament released earlier this week and cannot afford the luxury of a single loss if they want to land a top seed in a region come March.
The Dons had a four-game winning streak snapped Saturday by BYU. USF held the Cougars to 13 points below their season average and allowed only four three-pointers. However, San Francisco also had their worst shooting of the regular season and fell 68-52 to BYU in War Memorial at the Sobrato Center. The Dons missed 17 of their first 19 shots from the field and finished with 24.7% from the floor overall. USF trailed 13-6 halfway through the second half but consecutive three-points by Jordan Ratinho pulled the Dons to within 15-12 with 8:31 remaining. USF shot 22.2% in the first half and was behind 36-22 at halftime. Junior Chase Foster was the only San Francisco player to score double digits with 10 points. Frankie Ferrari finished with nine, Ratinho added another nine, and Ronnie Boyce and Charles Minlend contributed seven each. The Dons will face the No. 1 team – and march madness betting favorite – for the first time since they lost 86-69 to Notre Dame in 1979. Coincidentally the Dons and the Zags are the only two WCC teams to have been ranked No. 1 in the country. Gonzaga is allowing opposing teams to shoot only 37.2% from the floor this season, the second-lowest in the nation, though earlier this season, San Francisco shot 46.9% against the Bulldogs. The Dons have lost 27 games in a row to Gonzaga in Spokane, all the way back to their last win on February 10, 1989. USF is in a fourth-place tie with Santa Clara in the WCC, so needless to say they don’t inspire fans who bet on March madness with much confidence.