NCAA Top Seed Opens Against Long Shot
The No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs open their quest for a first national championship Georgia State vs Gonzaga with a first-round matchup against the 16th-seeded Georgia State Panthers. Gonzaga is on a two-game winning streak and has won 19 of its last 20.
Georgia State is coming off a Sun Belt Conference tournament title and has won 10 games in a row entering the Big Dance. Only one No. 16 seed has defeated a No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament history, but let’s take a closer look at this game to determine how you want to bet online on this one.
Let’s check the latest news, stats, injury reports, and March Madness odds for Georgia State vs Gonzaga. We’ve plenty of predictions for you to consider.
Georgia State Hopes Momentum Carries Over
The Georgia State Panthers have been one of the hottest teams in the country over the last few weeks and are making their fourth March Madness appearance since 2015. The Panthers have won eight straight games played away from home.
Senior guard Corey Allen leads the Georgia State offensive attack with 14.7 points per game, hitting more than half of his field goals from 3-point range. Backcourt mate Kane Williams is scoring 12.5 points and dishing out a team-high 3.8 assists per contest. He’s also made an impact on the defensive end of the floor, recording 1.9 steals per game.
The Panthers have held opponents to just 64.8 points per game, but they’ll be hard-pressed to do that against the high-scoring Bulldogs. Junior forward Jalen Thomas will need to avoid foul trouble against the lengthy Gonzaga front line.
Gonzaga Primed for Another Final Four Run
The Gonzaga Bulldogs came up just short of a national title in 2021, falling in the championship game to the Baylor Bulldogs. Now, Mark Few’s squad is ready to take another crack at its first national title and it has plenty of firepower with which to do it.
The frontcourt duo of freshman center Chet Holmgren (14.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.6 blocks) and forward Drew Timme (17.5 points, 6.3 rebounds) draws a lot of the headlines, and rightfully so. But the Bulldogs lead the country in scoring at 87.8 points per game because of the team’s depth of scoring ability.
The West Coast Conference tournament champions needed that in the title game against Saint Mary’s, with Andrew Nembhard and Rasir Bolton leading the way with 19 and 18 points, respectively.
“Their offense is as good as any in the country,” Saint Mary’s coach Randy Bennett said after Tuesday’s contest. “There’s a lot of things you have to do right to have a chance, and we did that for a while, but you have to do it for 40 minutes.”
Guard Julian Strawher is scoring 12.3 points per game while Nembhard (11.7 points, 5.7 assists) and Bolton (11.2 points) are both averaging in double figures as well.
Georgia State vs Gonzaga Head-to-Head
This will be the second time that the Gonzaga Bulldogs have faced the Georgia State Panthers, with the first coming in the 1994-95 season. Gonzaga won that game in a rout 90-65.
As stated earlier, only one No. 16 seed has pulled an upset of a top-seeded team in the NCAA Tournament. That’s why the college basketball lines have the Bulldogs as such a big favorite.
Follow the Road to the Final Four
Learn more about the No. 1 seeds here:
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Georgia State vs Gonzaga Information
- Game: Georgia State Panthers (18-10) vs Gonzaga Bulldogs (26-3)
- Location: Moda Center, Portland, Ore.
- Day/Time: Thursday, 4:15 p.m. ET
- Live Stream: TBS.com
- 2022 March Madness Bracket
Georgia State vs Gonzaga Betting Lines
Georgia State vs Gonzaga Prediction
Don’t overthink this one. The Gonzaga Bulldogs are favored to win the entire NCAA Tournament, and the Georgia State Panthers should be an easy opponent to take care of to start their run.
Gonzaga’s offense will be able to light up the scoreboard against the Panthers. The large point spread should not be a deterrent to betting on the Bulldogs.
When making your college basketball picks, take Gonzaga to win and cover to advance.
Pick: Gonzaga Bulldogs -23½
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