Gonzaga is not new to this whole NCAA Tournament thing. The No. 8-seeded Zags made their 26th appearance in the Big Dance since 1998 this year, and with their 89-68 win over Georgia in the first round on Thursday, they advanced to the second round for the 22nd time since head coach Mark Few took over in 1999. Up next for Gonzaga is a matchup with No. 1 seed Houston today at 8:40 p.m. ET.
Gonzaga is looking for its 10th straight trip to the Sweet 16. Last season, the Zags knocked off McNeese State and Kansas before losing to No. 1 seed Purdue in the Sweet 16.
Houston (31-4, 19-1 Big 12) set a program record for the fewest points allowed in a NCAA Tournament game in its 78-40 win over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville on Thursday. The Cougars head into the second round on a 14-game winning streak.
Houston is averaging 74.3 points a game, which ranks No. 9 in the Big 12, but the Cougars are giving up the fewest points in the nation at just 57.9 a game. They also lead the Big 12 with a .396 3-point percentage, and they rank No. 6 in the conference with 36.6 rebounds a night.
Gonzaga (26-8, 14-4 WCC) leads the West Coast Conference and ranks No. 2 in the country with 86.7 points a game. The Zags also lead the conference with a .501 team field goal percentage and a.799 free throw percentage. The Zags are No. 2 in the league with 38.6 rebounds a game.
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Gonzaga vs. Houston Betting Odds
Houston is a 4.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite on BetMGM vs. Gonzaga, and the Over/Under is at 139.5 points.
The Moneyline is at -220 for Houston and +180 for Gonzaga.
Gonzaga vs. Houston on TV
The second round NCAA Tournament game featuring Gonzaga and Houston will be televised on TNT.
Tip-ff is scheduled for 8:40 p.m. ET.
Gonzaga vs. Houston Prediction
I predict Houston wins, 71-68.
Houston simply doesn’t lose very often. Two of the Cougars’ four losses this season were in overtime. The other two were against a couple of the best teams in the country: Alabama and Auburn.
Houston has won 26 of its past 27 games in large part because it plays suffocating defense. It’s holding opponents to a .381 shooting percentage and seven players on the roster have racked up at least 30 steals this season.
This is going to be a classic high-powered offense vs. stingy defense matchup.
The good news for Gonzaga is that leading scorer Graham Ike didn’t have to carry the load against Georgia. Arkansas transfer Khalif Battle led the way with 24 points, while role players Braden Huff and Nolan Hickman both finished with 18.
The Bad news is Houston hasn’t allowed more than 68 points in a game since an 82-81 overtime loss to Texas Tech on Feb. 1. Defense wins championships. In this case, defense will carry Houston to the Sweet 16.
