Gonzaga Bulldogs vs Syracuse Orange Sweet 16 Betting Preview & Odds
NCAA Tournament on Friday night and we will see the Gonzaga Bulldogs take on the Syracuse Orange at The United Center in Chicago, Illinois. CBS will carry this game, which has a start time of 9:40 pm EST.
Current betting odds for this game have the have the Bulldogs listed as 4.5 point favorites, while the total has been set at 135.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs come in with a solid 28-7 record on the year and they are rolling right now as they have won their last 7 games in a row and have hit at least 80 points in 6 of those games. That offense will be tested vs this Syracuse defense. They Made it to the Sweet 16 with a 16 point win over Seton Hall and a 23 point win over a strong Utah squad. The Bulldogs are now 7-0 ATS in their last 7 games overall and 5-0 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games, but we also note that No. 10 or lower seeds returning to the Sweet 16 round for a 2nd straight year are 0-5 SU & ATS since 1990 and the Sweet 16 returnees are just 4-15-1 ATS in this round vs sub .700 opposition.
The Zags are led by Kyle Wiltjer, who averages 20.4 ppg and hits 42.4% from distance. 2nd is Domantas Sabonis, who averages 17.5 ppg and leads the team in rebounding at 11.7 rpg. Eric McClellan led the team with 22 points vs the Utes and averages 10.9 ppg on the year, while rounding out the double digit scorers is Josh Perkins at 10.2 ppg. Gonzaga checks in at 34th in the nation in scoring, putting up 79.4 ppg, while also ranking 11th in shooting overall, 37th from beyond the arc and 15th at the stripe. On defense they come in at 35th in points allowed, giving up just 65.6 ppg, while also ranking 26th in defensive FG% overall and 5th at defending the arc. The Bulldogs are 32nd in the nation in rebounding, while they commit just 11.4 turnovers per game (66th) and force just 10.2 turnovers per game (336th).
The Syracuse Orange were not playing well down the stretch of the season as they had lost 5 of 6 games prior to the tournament, but they are playing very well right now as they beat Dayton by 19 in round one and then Middle Tennessee by 25 in round two. Syracuse has gone 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games overall and they are also 5-1 in their last 6 neutral site games, but they are also 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10 Sweet 16 games. The Orange are led by Michael Gbinije, who averages 17.8 ppg and hits 41.3% from long range. He led the Orange with 22 points vs the Blue Raiders. Also scoring in double figures for the Orange is Malachi Richardson (13.1 ppg), Trevor Cooney (12.8 ppg) and Tyler Lydon (10.4 ppg). Tyler Roberson is the team’s leading rebounder at 8.4 rpg, while also chipping in with 9.0 ppg. The Orange are not a good offensive team as they come in ranked 248th in scoring, putting up just 70.4 ppg, while also ranking 229th in shooting overall, 113th from long range and 221st from the charity stripe. On defense they are very strong as they come in ranked 24th in points allowed, giving up just 64.8 ppg, while also ranking 44th in defensive FG% overall, and 13th in 3-point defense. The Orange are 169th in the nation in rebounding, while they commit just 12.1 turnovers per game (115th) and force 13.2 turnovers per game (114th).
