Gonzaga Bulldogs vs Baylor Bears
Saturday, 12/18/10, 4:30 PM EDT, TV: ESPN2
Opening Point Spread: Baylor -7
Current Betting Line: Baylor -7
Opening Total: 139
Current Total: 139.5
Gonzaga cruised past Lewis-Clark State College 103-61 on Thursday night in the McCarthey Athletic Centre, snapping a three-game losing streak in the process. The Bulldogs have an unfamiliar five losses at this stage of the season, as the defeats have come against teams with a combined record of 46-4. “It’s been such a tough schedule,” said Steven Gray. “I don’t know what people were expecting from this squad going in.” He’s the lone senior on the roster and left the last contest in the first half with a sprained toe and did not return. Gonzaga is 4-4 ATS on the season and 35-32 ATS over the past three years. The team is currently listed as a neutral court underdog on the college basketball lines page.
The Bulldogs captured a 78-69 victory against the Bears in the title game of the Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT West Region on November 15, 2006. Gonzaga has already played four top 25 teams coming into this matchup and has posted a 1-2 mark on neutral floors. The team is averaging 79.7 points per game offensively, while surrendering 70.6 a contest. In their last contest, the Bulldogs shot a season-high 60.7 percent from the field and have shot better than 50 percent from the field in back-to-back games now for the second time this season.
Baylor will step away from its home floor for the first time this season and match-up with Gonzaga at American Airlines Center in Dallas for “The Showcase” presented by Reese’s. The Bears are off to their best start since the 2000-01 team opened 12-0 and are first in the nation in scoring defense at 51.9 points. Early in the season, the schedule has been light on quality opponents, including a 83-39 win over Bethune-Cookman that saw the team get off to a sluggish start in its first game in 13 days. “It’s been a while since we played and you could tell,” said guard LaceDarius Dunn. “Now we got to get focused.” The program has won 21 consecutive games in the month of December and 30 games in a row when holding opponents under 70 points. Baylor is 18-20 ATS as a favorite.
The Bears No. 9 showing in the Associated Press Top 25 poll is their highest in program history and the team is 31-11 when ranked in the Scott Drew era. Dunn has made a serious impact on the team offensively since starting the season serving a three-game suspension and he has scored 20-plus points in each of his last seven games overall. He is averaging 23.0 points on 20-of-39 shooting from 3-point range. Rebounding is another key component for this squad, tied for third nationally with a differential of 13.3 boards per game over opponents.
Bettors will be interested in knowing that the Bulldogs are 3-8 ATS versus the Big 12, while the Bears are 20-8 ATS in neutral site games.
