Gonzaga vs Pepperdine Prediction, Game Preview, Live Stream, Odds & Picks
Bulldogs Look To Continue Dominance Over Pepperdine
Conference Race at Stake for Gonzaga With Final Road Tilt
The Gonzaga Bulldogs have had some critical slip-ups this season, which is to be expected with the national brands they play. But two losses in league play are a rarity as they have dominated the West Coast Conference.
That is what they need to do – dominate – the league’s bottom feeder, the Pepperdine Waves, to improve their odds to win March Madness and stay in the WCC championship chase.
An All-American Opportunity for Star Center Drew Timme
It is difficult to be one of the best players in the country and deliver night after night. That is what All-American Drew Timme has learned. Though last time out against the Pepperdine Waves, he scored 35 points on 19 shots with 10 rebounds and five assists. Pure dominance.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs will look for a similar performance as the college basketball odds will heavily be in their favor.
The Bulldogs are the country’s highest-scoring team at 87.1 points per game and most efficient at 52.3% on field goal attempts, including 16th at making 38.4% of their 3-point shots. They are 86th in rebounding at 33.6 per game, though 237th in making 69.9% of free throw attempts.
Defensively, the Zags are 295th in allowing 73.7 points per game, 240th in allowing teams to convert 44.5% of field goal attempts, and 204th in allowing 34.0% of opponents’ 3-point shots to be made.
Gonzaga is 9-16-1 against the spread and 15-11 on over/unders this NCAAB season. They are 6-2 straight up on the road and 11-4 away from home. As favorites, they are 7-11-1, including 2-3-1 when favored by 15 or more points.
Pepperdine Happy To Be at Home Sweet Home
The Pepperdine Waves are located on one of the most beautiful campuses in the country, and those who watched “Zoey 101” will have seen that. The Waves are 8-6 straight up at home, and must hope a beach day slows up the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
The Waves are 41st nationally in scoring 78.1 points per game, 86th in making 46.2% of field goal attempts, and 76th in making 46.2% of 3-point shots. But they do not play a lick of defense.
Pepperdine is 358th in the country in allowing 80.5 points per game, 288th in allowing teams to convert 45.3% of field goal attempts, and 278th in allowing a 35.2% conversion rate on 3-point shots.
The Waves are 9-16 against the spread, 17-7-1 on over/unders, and are 4-10 against the spread as underdogs.
Gonzaga vs Pepperdine Game Injuries
Gonzaga vs Pepperdine Head-to-Head
The Gonzaga Bulldogs have the third-longest winning streak against a Division I opponent in NCAA history, with 44 straight wins over the Pepperdine Waves. Surprisingly, you only have to go back to 2002 for the last Waves win, an 88-79 victory in Malibu on Jan. 18.
Needless to say, scores and odds show the Bulldogs are likely to win. They are 47-2 against Pepperdine under coach Mark Few. The latest win was a 111-88 route on Dec. 31, 2022. However, their series history is only a 64-31 edge despite the decades of dominance.
Gonzaga vs Pepperdine Game Information
- Game: Gonzaga (22-5) vs Pepperdine (9-18)
- Location: Firestone Fieldhouse
- Day/Time: Saturday, Feb 18, 7 p.m. ET
- Gonzaga vs Pepperdine Live Stream: TBS.com
Gonzaga vs Pepperdine Betting Lines
Gonzaga vs Pepperdine Picks & Prediction
One of the things that is true when the Gonzaga Bulldogs and Pepperdine Waves meet is that a lot of points are going to be scored. In the last 10 meetings, the over/under has been no lower than 150.5 points. That being said, the over has hit six times in that time span, so the sportsbook has some work to do.
The key to beating the Zags is to limit Timme, and usually, it is teams with superior height and size who can do it. The Waves have Jevon Porter, a 6-foot-11 forward, who is averaging 11.9 points per game, and center Casron Basham, who is 6-10.
But Timme is stronger than both of them, as he showed in the last outing, and the Bulldogs should again win.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs are listed at -1625 in our Vegas college basketball Lines. This means that if you wager $100 on the Bulldogs, you have a chance to win $6. The Pepperdine Waves are +925, offering a chance to win $925.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines give the Bulldogs a 94.20% chance to win, with the other Waves at 9.76%.
