Georgia State vs. Gonzaga Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
NCAA Tournament favourite and No. 1 overall seed Gonzaga begins its quest for a first national championship Thursday in West Region action against No. 16 Georgia State, which is the biggest underdog on the college basketball odds board at +23.5.
Georgia State Panthers vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
The winner of this West Region game from the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, which I can safely say will be Gonzaga, faces either No. 8 Boise State or No. 9 Memphis on Saturday from the same location.
A reminder that a No. 16 seed is 1-143 all-time vs. a No. 1 seed. That upset came in 2018 when UMBC knocked off overall tournament No. 1 Virginia 74-54. Usually, though, these games aren’t close as there have only been 15 games between 1 and 16 seeds decided by 10 points or fewer.
Gonzaga of the West Coast Conference and Georgia State of the Sun Belt have met once previously in 1994 and GU won by 25 points. The Zags are in their 23rd straight NCAA Tournament, the third-longest current streak in the nation (Kansas 32 and Michigan State 24). Georgia State is making its sixth Big Dance appearance and first since 2019. The Panthers are 2-5 in the event.
Georgia State Panthers (16)
Georgia State (18-10) is playing as well as anyone, having won 10 straight games (fourth-longest nationally) and eight straight road/neutral contests. The Panthers finished third in the Sun Belt regular-season standings but then rolled to the conference tournament title over Louisiana way back on March 7. Rob Lanier is considered a rising coaching star nationally. His first three-season .646 winning percentage (53-29 record) is the best of any GSU head coach in their first three years leading the program. Georgia State is a terrible three-point shooting team but excellent on defence.
Three of Georgia State’s Top 25 scorers all-time are currently on the team: Kane Williams is in third with 1,577 points, Corey Allen is No. 17 with 1,129 points, and Justin Roberts is tied for 23rd with 1,017. Kane and Williams earned All-Sun Belt third-team honors. This will be the program’s first-ever game in the state of Oregon. Georgia State is 8-1-1 ATS in its past 10 games.
Gonzaga Bulldogs (1)
Of course, the Zags entered last season’s NCAA Tournament unbeaten and with a chance to go down in history as one of the best single-season teams ever but were upset in the final by Baylor. This year’s team isn’t that good, but it’s still exceptional and the +325 favourite to win its first national championship and -167 to win the West Region. The Zags have the WCC Player of the Year in senior Drew Timme and the Newcomer of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in 7-foot-1 freshman Chet Holmgren, who might be the top pick of the 2022 NBA Draft. Both could win national awards, and both were named second-team All-American.
Gonzaga is the first program to receive back-to-back No. 1 overall seeds since Duke in 1999, 2000 and 2001. GU has the most wins in the NCAA Tournament since 2017, going 15-4, and is the only program to appear in the last six Sweet 16s. The Zags are 1-4-2 ATS in their past seven games.
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