NCAAB Betting: Gonzaga Bulldogs SU, LMU Lions ATS

The No. 3 Gonzaga Bulldogs are enjoying one of their best seasons, riding on a remarkable 17-game winning streak and going 23-1 SU in all of their 24 games this season, thus are hoping to continue with their excellent form when they host the Loyola Marymount Lions at the McCarthey Athletic Center in a Thursday NCAAB betting matchup. Venue: McCarthey Athletic Center, Spokane, Washington Date: Thursday, February 12, 2015 Time: 9:00 PM ET TV: ESPN 3/ ESPN FULLCOURT Spread: Gonzaga -24½ NCAAB Odds and Game Preview The Bulldogs already met the Lions on the road on January 17th, beating them 72-55, so finding a way to defeat them again this Thursday should not be much of a problem. In that game, the Bulldogs held the Lions to 23.8% from beyond the arc and 29.3% shooting from the field, as Gonzaga’s Byron Wesley led his team with an all-rounded performance, racking up 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals. Other Gonzaga players also shined in that game, with Gary Bell Jr. getting 17 points, Kevin Pangos finding 14 points and six assists, and Domantas Sabonis cleaning the glass with eight rebounds.

Gonzaga (24-1, 1st in WCC) was however not able to cover the -19.5 points spread of the game, with the total staying UNDER. With the Bulldogs known to be very strong when playing at home and their solid form still consistently maintained in their recent games, there is a reasonable chance that they’ll be able to cover the spread this Thursday. But even with the college basketball odds looking to be in their favor, the Bulldogs will have to maintain full concentration throughout the game. In their January meeting, Loyola Marymount’s Ayodeji Egbeyemi had a decent 14-point performance, while Petr Herman was a constant menace, getting 11 points and seven rebounds. In addition, although the Bulldogs often have a solid rebounding game against “weak” opponents, they only managed to outrebound Loyola Marymount 38-33 in their first meeting.

With players like Evan Payne (17.8 PPG), Marin Mornar (10.7 PPG and 5.4 RPG), Godwin Okonji (5.9 RPG) and David Humphries showing a lot of improvements for the Lions (8-17, 4-9, 8th in WCC) in their recent 3-2 SU run; Gonzaga must avoid any form of complacency if they are to better their winning streak and their flawless 12-0 WCC record. Key Betting Trends

• The Lions are 3-2 SU/ ATS in their last five games
• The Bulldogs are 5-0 SU and 2-3 ATS in their last five games
• The Bulldogs are 10-0 SU in their last 10 games against the Lions
• The total has gone UNDER in eight of the last 10 games between Gonzaga and Loyola
• Both Gonzaga and Loyola have gone OVER in four of their last five games.

Betting Prediction Though the total has been going UNDER in most of the games between these two teams, both the Lions and Bulldogs are 4-of-5 OVER in their last five games. Deductively, Thursday’s game looks likely to take the total high enough for an OVER. Winning-wise, the Bulldogs should be able to claim a rather easy win, scoring not-less-than 70 points in the process. However, Gonzaga has not been doing too well in covering the spread, so the Lions should be able to keep the scores close enough to get the ATS, in the same way they covered in January.