The Loyola Marymount Lions hit the road for one game as they pay a visit to the McCarthey Athletic Center to meet the No. 5 Gonzaga Bulldogs. You have to go all the way back to February 7, 1991, to find the last time that Loyola Marymount earned a road victory over Gonzaga, a span of 28 games. The Bulldogs are on a seven-game winning streak and are a 24-point favorite tonight with the total Sportsbook at 144 points.
- Gonzaga is 19-0 SU and 13-5-1 ATS in its last 19 vs Loyola Marymount.
- Gonzaga scores the most points per game in the nation this season (92.2).
- Gonzaga is 7-0 SU and ATS in its last seven games (avg. winning margin: 40.29).
Loyola Marymount vs Gonzaga Game Center
Bulldogs continue to run up the score
Gonzaga stormed out of the gate this season to a 9-0 start, including a narrow 89-87 victory over then-No. 1 Duke in the Maui Invitational final, but dropped back-to-back games against ranked opponents in then-No. 7 Tennessee and then-No. 12 UNC. The Bulldogs got back on track following those two losses with seven straight wins by an average margin of 40.29.
The Bulldogs’ offense is seemingly unstoppable – it leads the nation in scoring at 92.2 points per game and has scored fewer than 85 points just four times. The Bulldogs also just got junior forward Killian Tillie back from injury after he missed the first 15 games of the season; he averaged 12.9 points per game in his sophomore season. Leading the way this year, though, is another junior forward, Rui Hachimura, who is chipping in 20.8 ppg and hitting 59.2 percent of his shots. A strong shooting proficiency is a common theme for Gonzaga as it leads college basketball with a 52.6 shooting percentage.
Defensively, the Zags have been fairly good as well, surrendering just 68.5 points per game to rank 88th in the nation and restricting opponents to a shooting percentage of 38.8 to rank 12th. Because of its uptempo style of play, Gonzaga averages the 17th-most shot attempts against per game at 63.8 but it contests those shots well, averaging 5.7 blocks per game for the No. 7 mark in college basketball.
Is the Lions’ Defense up to the task?
For the first time in school history, Loyola Marymount began the season with eight straight wins but finds itself on a win-one, lose-one streak over its last six games. Although a 13-4 record through the first 17 games of the season is impressive, it should almost be taken with a grain of salt as the strength of schedule ranks 239th out of 353 teams, including victories over Westcliff and Bethesda, both not members of the NCAA.
Putting points on the board has been a bit of a struggle for Loyola Marymount as it has averaged just 67.8 points per game (276th) excluding the Westcliff and Bethesda contests, but it has converted 44.3 percent of its shot attempts (134th). Just two players are averaging double-digit points per game, with senior guard James Batemon leading the way at 17.9 ppg.
The Lions have been fairly good defensively, allowing just 61.2 ppg for the No. 9 mark in the nation, but remember that they have had the 239th-ranked strength of schedule. Excluding their two games against Westcliff and Bethesda, they have kept their foes to just 50 shot attempts per game to rate fourth, but they are in for a change as the Bulldogs take the 34th-most shot attempts per game. Lastly, they have done a good job at creating extra offensive opportunities as they earn 14.7 turnovers per game, which ranks 79th in the NCAA.
Is an UNDER in Store for Tonight’s Game?
Two teams with above-average defenses are tipping off and Sportsbook has the total Sportsbook at 144 points. At the McCarthey Athletic Center this year, Gonzaga has held its foes to just 58.2 points per game, the 15th-fewest in college basketball, and more recently it has allowed just 47.33 points over its last six home games.
Loyola Marymount has gone UNDER in 10 of its 16 games this season with just two games going OVER 144 points. Lastly, the total has gone UNDER in eight of the Bulldogs’ last 10 games and I expect this trend to continue tonight.
My take on Loyola Marymount vs Gonzaga
I like Gonzaga to cover the 24-point spread. The Bulldogs’ offense is going to be too much for the Lions’ defense, which I think is a little overrated. Loyola Marymount is about to take a big jump in competition and it has surrendered an average of 50 shot attempts per game with those teams hitting 42.5 percent of their shots. If that high percentage continues, Gonzaga is going to put up a big number.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs’ defense is a little underrated as they have surrendered an average of 47.33 points over their last six home games while the offense has averaged 89.86 points over that span. Lastly, Gonzaga is 7-0 SU and ATS in its last seven games with an average winning margin of 40.29.
