Gonzaga Bulldogs at BYU Cougars
Thursday, 2/2/12, 11:00 PM EST, TV: ESPN2
Opening Point Spread: BYU -2.5
Current Betting Line: BYU -3
Opening Total: 146.5
Current Total: 147.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Gonzaga has won its last four games despite failing to cover the spread in each of those contests, as it comes off a 74-62 win over the Portland Pilots as 15-point road favorites. The Bulldogs have three players in their starting lineup that average double figures in scoring, with junior forward Elias Harris leading the way in scoring 13.7 points per game. The program begins the second half of its West Coast Conference season, as it looks to capture its 12th-straight regular-season crown. Gonzaga is 13-8 ATS as an underdog the last two-plus seasons.
The Bulldogs have met the Cougars just once, dropping an 89-67 contest as one-point underdogs in the NCAA Tournament’s third round in Denver last March. Gonzaga will not have to worry about matching up with Jimmer Fredette, who has gone on to the NBA, as he scored 34 points in that affair. Offensively, the team managed to score just 25 points in the first half against Portland last time out, which was its lowest scoring half of the 2011-12 campaign.
BYU has split its last four games and will attempt to bounce back from a disappointing 80-66 loss to the Saint Mary’s Gaels on Saturday. The Cougars have also managed to go “under” the total in four of their last five games. Senior forward Noah Hartsock leads the team in scoring 17.5 points per game, shooting 58.2 percent from the field and 83.6 percent from the free throw line. He has received a lot of help offensively from junior Brandon Davies inside the paint, as the Provo, Utah, native is first in the WCC during league play in scoring 18.7 points a game. BYU is 18-17 ATS at home the last two-plus campaigns.
The Cougars are certainly a second-tier team in the WCC this season, dropping both games to the Gaels by a combined margin of 30 points. It was a surprising result last time out due to the program coming off a 70-68 win over the Virginia Tech Hokies as three-point underdogs, which was its first-ever road win against an ACC opponent.
Bettors will likely back the Cougars due to their 6-2 ATS mark as a home favorite of 6.5 or fewer points, while the Bulldogs are 0-5 ATS versus conference rivals.
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