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NCAA March Madness Betting - West Region Matchup Pits No. 0 Florida State vs. No. 8 Gonzaga

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HSBC Arena in Buffalo, NY will be rockin’ tonight when the ninth-seeded Florida State Seminoles and eighth-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs take to the court for their NCAA March Madness first round showdown at 7 PM ET.

Friday, March 19, 7:10 PM ET
NCAAB Betting Odds: Florida St. -1
(O/U) 132

Florida St. (22-9 SU, 8-18 ATS, 9-14-2 O/U)
Gonzaga (26-6 SU, 15-11-2 ATS, 16-11-1 O/U)

Florida St. 411
Seminoles are 2-7 ATS in their last 9 games following an SU loss.
Seminoles are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 non-conference games.
Seminoles are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games as a favorite.
Seminoles are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games as a favorite.

Florida State had its modest two-game winning streak broken in its 58-52 loss to NC State in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament on Friday.

Javier Gonzalez scored 13 points and added five rebounds and six assists for Florida State, but it wasn’t enough as the Seminoles failed to cover the college basketball betting line as 6.5-point underdogs to fall to a bankroll-busting 0-4 ATS over the last four games.

Gonzaga 411
Bulldogs are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 non-conference games.
Bulldogs are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games vs. a team with a winning S.U. record.
Bulldogs are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games as an underdog.
Bulldogs are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 NCAA Tournament games.

Gonzaga had its five-game winning streak snapped in its 81-62 loss to St. Mary's in the West Coast Conference Tournament championship game on March, 8.

Steven Gray scored a team-high 16 points to lead Gonzaga, but it wasn’t enough to help the Bulldogs cash in for betting backers as 4.5-point favorites and fall to 1-2 ATS over the last three games.

Analysis: I don’t know how or why the Florida State Seminoles are favored in this contest, but I don’t like them to beat the mentally-superior Gonzaga Bulldogs tonight.

First and foremost, the Seminoles have been wildly inconsistent lately, recording a mediocre 9-7 SU mark in their last 16 games, including their ACC tournament loss.

I know the Seminoles have one of the nation’s best defenses, but they’ve also been one of the worst ATS teams in the country, compiling a bankroll-breaking 8-18 ATS record this season while dropping four straight against the spread.

Besides the fact that the Seminoles have their own struggles to deal with, Gonzaga also poses some serious problems of their own.

The Bulldogs are one of the best shooting teams in the country, draining a whopping 49.4 percent of their collective field-goal attempts to rank sixth in the nation.

While the Florida State Seminoles are the better defensive and rebounding ballclub, the 'Zags' are the better offensive team and play a much ‘smarter’ brand of basketball if you ask me.

I like Gonzaga to win and cover the college basketball betting line with room to spare as the Seminoles turn the ball over a few times too many – and the sweet-shooting Bulldogs make them pay. I also like Gonzaga to top its 65.5-point team O/U total en route to victory.

NCAAB Expert Picks: Gonzaga +1 Point