Gonzaga to Meet its Match in Arizona

As a giant in the West Coast Conference, Gonzaga doesn't face much adversity once the conference calendar begins in earnest – but the Bulldogs' pre-conference schedule is quite a doozy as they prepare to visit Arizona on Saturday. It's the second of three straight games vs. ranked teams – and Gonzaga kicked off the stretch in style, upending host Washington 83-76.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

If you're not used to seeing Gonzaga as an underdog, that's because it's rare; this marks just the seventh time the Bulldogs have received points since the end of the 2015-16 season, with the 'Zags going 2-4 SU and ATS in the previous six games.

Gonzaga Bulldogs News & Notes

Barring something stunning, this three-game stretch vs. Washington, Arizona and North Carolina should provide Gonzaga with its only major test until at least the WCC conference tourney. And the Bulldogs have had mixed results in their first three "statement games" of the year, going 2-1 SU and 1-2 ATS against Oregon, Michigan and Washington.

As usual, the offense is one of the best in the nation, entering the weekend ranked fourth in Division I in points per game (85.9). And few teams boast this kind of scoring balance, with seven players averaging between 9.7 and 15.8 points. Filip Petrusev paces the team in scoring while adding 7.0 rebounds per contest and shooting better than 52 percent from the field so far.

Arizona Wildcats News & Notes

The Wildcats probably couldn't have asked for a better bit of scheduling at this point in the season. Four days after suffering its first defeat of the season – a frustrating 53-48 setback at Baylor – Arizona was gifted a home game against Nebraska-Omaha and took full advantage, trouncing the lowly Mavericks 99-49 in a game in which it shot better than 57 percent from the floor.

And while Gonzaga represents a significant increase in degree of difficulty, the Wildcats have proven capable of holding their own from an offensive standpoint. They rank just seventh in Division I in scoring at 85.5 points per game – just three spots behind the Bulldogs – and rank 10th overall in assists per game (17.6) and 17th in 3-point success rate (40.6 percent).

Betting Pick: OVER

Pac-12 teams have brought out the best in Gonzaga's offense, while the Wildcats can't seem to miss in the early going. This should be a fun one, so grab the OVER – and a big bag of popcorn to go with it.