Gonzaga Begins Final Four Quest Against Grand Canyon on Friday

Last year the Gonzaga Bulldogs were the March Madness betting favorites to win the national championship.  However, Gonzaga was off the mark in the role of favorite.  Hence, the Zags were never a serious threat to win their first national championship.  As a result, the 2023 future market soured on Gonzaga.  The Bulldogs returned to their roots as an under-the-radar type of program.  Subsequently, Gonzaga delivered with the West Coast Conference regular season and tournament championships.  Wise Guys see some potential irony in the 2022-23 Bulldogs.  Gonzaga is potentially more of a dangerous value for the NCAA Tournament.

Grand Canyon vs. Gonzaga CashBet Wagering Analysis  

In this situation, Gonzaga is the much larger online sportsbook brand.  The Casual sector has little knowledge or interest in Grand Canyon. 

Grand Canyon in the Red But WAC Champions

Overall, the Grand Canyon Antelopes are 20-11 straight up, 12-17 against the spread, and 21-8 over/under the total.  Grand Canyon has national rankings of 169^th for scoring offense, 130^th for field goal percentage, 44^th for 3-point field goal percentage, 167^th for free throw percentage, and 107^th for offensive rebounding.  While on defense, Grand Canyon has national rankings of 35^th for scoring defense, 20^th for field goal percentage permitted, 65^th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 63^rd for defensive rebounding.  

Grand Canyon covered five of its last six games.  And five of those games went over the 2023 March Madness Betting total.  Grand Canyon is the champion of the Western Athletic Conference.  Namely, Rayshon Harrison leads Grand Canyon with 17.7 points per game.  

Gonzaga Looks to Sneak Into Final Four

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are 26-5 straight up, 12-17-1 against the spread, and 19-11 over/under the total.  In sum, Gonzaga has national rankings of 1^st for scoring offense, 1^st for field goal percentage, 17^th for 3-point field goal percentage, 251^st for free throw percentage, and 71^st for offensive rebounding.  While on defense, Gonzaga has national rankings of 287^th for scoring defense, 262^nd for field goal percentage permitted, 246^th for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 33^rd for defensive rebounding.

Late on, Gonzaga got the cash in four of its final five games.  The Bulldogs went over the bet on NCAA basketball total in eight of their last ten outings.  Drew Timme leads the Zags with 20.9 points and 7.3 rebounds per contest.  Gonzaga won the West Coast Conference regular season and tournament championships.

Certainly, Gonzaga’s players have heard the criticisms.  Word out says this isn’t the same Bulldogs team that has been among the nation’s elite in recent years.  And that the Zags failed to live up to the program’s enormous expectations.

But the Bulldogs sent a message to the rest of the country with a dominant 77-51 victory over Saint Mary’s in the West Coast Conference championship game.  Thus the Zags continued their domination of the WCC with their fourth consecutive tournament championship and 10th in 11 years.  Overall, Gonzaga has won 21 tournament titles.

Namely, Drew Timme scored 18 points and became Gonzaga’s all-time leading scorer.  Time earned WCC tournament Most Outstanding Player honors.  Timme made 8-10 10 shots to lead four Bulldogs into double figures.  Malachi Smith scored 14 points, Nolan Hickman 12, and Julian Strawther 10.  Additionally, Anton Watson had ten rebounds.

Timme’s short jumper with 10:18 left put him in first place alone as the leading scorer in Saint Mary’s history.  He entered just five points short of breaking the mark, and his 18 points for the game gave him 2,210 for his career.  Previously, Frank Burgess held the record of 2,196 from 1958-61.

Grand Canyon vs. Gonzaga CashBet Free Pick  

As mentioned earlier, neither team was a strong value this season.  But Gonzaga is the more impressive 2023 March Madness Betting choice.

Grand Canyon vs. Gonzaga CashBet Best Bet

Gonzaga Bulldogs