Gonzaga has always performed better as an underdog at tournament time and they get their wish as the No. 11 seed in the Southeast Region against St. Johns at Pepsi Center.
The No. 6 Red Storm are favored by 1.5 points, but without big game DJ Kennedy, they are susceptible to getting pushed around by the Zag's physical front court.
Gonzaga is just 1-6 ATS past 7 Madness games and they face a Red Storm team with a 21-11 mark in the tough Big East. The Bulldogs have are 24-9 and 15-11-1 ATS on the season.
View Gonzaga vs St Johns Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
St. John's opened as 1.5-point underdogs in this Southeast Regional tilt.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Power Rankings at Odds Shark show No. 24-rated Gonzaga taking on the No. 138-rated Red Storm in this contest. The scores prediction computer here indicates a possible 81-73 win for the Bulldogs on Thursday.
How They Match Up:
Scoring and defensive stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features St. John's's No. 133-ranked scoring average of 70.1 PPG, against a Bulldogs defense rated No. 90 and allowing 65.1 PPG. The Red Storm FG% has averaged 45.5% to date this season, less than the Bulldogs shooters have managed so far (47.9% per game).
Defensively, Gonzaga features the nation's No. 95-rated defense on the road, allowing 68 points per game. St. John's, meanwhile, comes in at No. 185 nationally in scoring at home.
Last time out for Gonzaga, they were a 75-63 Sportsbook as they battled St. Mary's. They covered in the match as a 2.5-point favorite.
St. John's was a 79-73 loser in their most recent outing against Syracuse. They failed to cover the 3–point spread as underdogs.
Gonzaga Bulldogs Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 8-2
After playing St. Mary's are 10-0
After a win are 9-1
St. John's Red Storm Trends:
When playing on Thursday are 5-5
After playing Syracuse are 7-3
After a loss are 6-4
A few Bulldogs at Red Storm trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 5 of St. John's last 5 games
St. John's is 8-2 SU in its last 10 games
