The Gonzaga Bulldogs look to continue their dominance in West Coast Conference play as they face off against the San Diego Toreros on Thursday night.
College basketball betting lines opened with the No. 2-ranked Zags installed as 22-point favorites. But can they cover such a massive spread on the road against a Toreros team that has been among the hottest ATS teams in the nation?
We let you know what we think with our best free college basketball betting picks and predictions for Gonzaga vs. San Diego for January 3, with tipoff at 9:00 p.m. ET.
Gonzaga vs San Diego odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
This line opened with Gonzaga installed as a 21.5-point favorite with the Over/Under at 149.5. Early money has come in on the Zags and the Over, shifting the line to -23 while the total has ticked up to 150.5.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until tip-off and be sure to check out the full college basketball odds before placing your bets.
Gonzaga vs San Diego predictions
Predictions made on 2/03/2022 at 12:15 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
If you're signing up for a new sportsbook for the 2021-22 college basketball season, here are two of the best welcome bonuses available:
USA: Sign up with Caesars and get your first bet matched up to $1,001! Claim Now
Canada: Bet $1, get $100 in free bets when you sign up with BetVictor! Sign Up Now
Gonzaga vs San Diego game info
• Location: Jenny Craig Pavilion, San Diego, CA
• Date: Thursday, February 3, 2022
• Tip-off: 9:00 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN2
Gonzaga at San Diego betting preview
Injuries
Gonzaga: Kaden Perry G (Out), Dominick Harris G (Out).
San Diego: No injuries to report.
Find our latest NCAA basketball injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Over is 17-8 in the Bulldogs' last 25 road games. Find more NCAA betting trends for Gonzaga vs. San Diego.
Gonzaga vs San Diego picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
Gonzaga is coming off a 104-72 victory against Portland on Saturday and has now won 10 games in a row, going 6-3-1 ATS over that span. It's worth mentioning that the only four games they failed to cover during that stretch, were all still blowout wins. They beat Merrimack by 25 points, clobbered North Alabama by 30, missed covering by just a single point in that latest beatdown of Portland, and pushed as 16-point faves versus San Francisco.
San Diego has won six of its last eight games and is fresh off a 69-65 win on the road against Loyala-Marymount. The Toreros are 8-1 ATS in their last nine games and the only contest during that span where they didn't cover they fell short by just a single point.
The Toreros have been solid on the defensive end of the floor when it comes to limiting other conference foes but Gonzaga is on a whole other level in terms of size, skill, and athleticism.
The Zags are second in the country in adjusted offensive efficiency according to KenPom and they lead the nation with a field goal percentage of 53.5. Power forward Drew Timme leads the Zags with 18.1 points per game with a 62.1 FG% and four others are scoring in double digits despite often resting in the second half of blowouts.
San Diego has a very experienced lineup with four senior starters but these vets have a history of getting destroyed by the Bulldogs. Gonzaga has won four straight meetings in the head-to-head with an average scoring margin of plus-36 ppg. The only game during that span where the Zags didn't cover was last January on the road when they still won by 28 points.
The Toreros have struggled offensively, ranking just 232nd in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency while sitting outside the Top 150 with a 43.3 FG%. Don't expect them to get open looks against an underrated Bulldogs defense that is holding opponents to a 38.6 FG% in conference play.
San Diego simply doesn't have the firepower to be competitive with Gonzaga in this one.
Prediction: Gonzaga -23 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
The Toreros play at a slower pace but Gonzaga ranks third in the country in adjusted tempo and does a great job of forcing opponents to play at their speed.
The Bulldogs have scored at least 89 points in eight of their last nine contests and are averaging an incredible 102.2 ppg in six conference games.
While the Toreros are not very efficient offensively they've still gone 4-1 O/U in their last five games and have dropped at least 70 points in six of their previous nine contests.
With the Over going 5-2 in San Diego's last seven games as an underdog while also going 5-2 O/U in the Zags' previous seven contests as a fave, take the Over tonight.
Prediction: Over 150.5 (-110)
Best bet
It's always tough to take the Zags with such huge spreads especially when they're going up against a slower-paced team that limits possessions. That said, backing them on the first half can help prevent those annoying late-game garbage-time covers.
The Zags have gone 8-1 ATS in the first half in their last nine games, boasting an average first-half scoring margin of plus-17.3 ppg in the eight games they covered.
The Zags are well-known for their fast starts and even on the road, they average 45.3 first-half ppg. Meanwhile, San Diego averages just 31.7 ppg during the first half at home.
When these teams previously met up last February, Gonzaga had an enormous 51-22 lead by halftime. Back the Zags on the first-half spread again.
Pick: Gonzaga first half -13.5 (+100)
Did you know that if you parlayed our Gonzaga vs. San Diego picks, you could win $62.89 on a $10 bet?
Use our college basketball parlay calculator to create your own parlays and see their potential payouts.
