Gonzaga vs Kansas Predictions, Picks, and Odds: Dickinson Carries Jayhawks as March Madness Dogs

The No. 5-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs face the No. 4-seeded Kansas Jayhawks in the second round of the March Madness bracket on Saturday.

Many college basketball fans expected these teams to get upset in the opening round but both prevailed. That said, the Jayhawks had a much harder time in their first-round matchup and are expected to come up short here with March Madness odds installing the Zags as 4-point favorites.

Here are my best free March Madness picks for Gonzaga vs. Kansas on March 23.

Gonzaga vs Kansas best odds

Gonzaga vs Kansas picks and predictions

Both of these schools are marquee programs that entered this season as national title contenders but those expectations have been tempered by uneven play.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs failed to win the WCC title and showed cracks against top teams during their non-conference schedule, losing to Purdue, Washington, UConn, and San Diego State. 

While Gonzaga still has a highly efficient offense that limits turnovers and shoots very well inside the arc, there are problems on the other side of the floor. The Zags rank outside the Top 200 in opponent turnover rate and give up plenty of high-quality 3-point attempts. 

They've also been vulnerable inside although the smaller and less skilled frontcourts in the WCC were seldom able to take advantage of that weakness. During their non-conference slate, they allowed 40+ points in the paint to Purdue, UConn, and SDSU and all three of those teams had their center score 20+ points.

The Kansas Jayhawks have one of the best offensive centers in the country in Hunter Dickinson who averages 18.0 points per game on 55.3% shooting.

I had a horrendous bad beat when backing Dickinson to go Over his points total of 19.5 in the opening round. He had 19 points on 9-for-14 shooting with seven minutes remaining in the game but didn't score a single point the rest of the way in a 93-89 Jayhawks victory. 

However, his point total has ticked down to 17.5 for this matchup and I'm putting my money on the Over again.

With the Jayhawks' leading scorer Kevin McCullar Jr. ruled out for the rest of the season, there will be plenty of extra shots to go around. Not to mention that Gonzaga's blazing-fast tempo should result in more possessions for both offenses. 

My best bet: Hunter Dickinson Over 17.5 points (-125 at FanDuel)

Gonzaga vs Kansas same-game parlay

Hunter Dickinson Over 17.5 points

Over 151.5

Ryan Nembhard Over 6.5 assists

+408 at FanDuel

Scoring depth has been an issue for Kansas all season long and while that issue could be magnified without McCullar, it certainly wasn't in Round 1 when all five starters finished with at least 13 points. With the supporting cast stepping up to help Dickinson, the Jayhawks scored a whopping 93 points despite not shooting well from deep or the charity stripe. 

That said, the Jayhawks also allowed 89 points to Samford in that contest and the loss of McCullar also hurts on the defensive end of the floor since he was their best wing defender. That's bad news against an explosive Gonzaga attack that averages 83.7 ppg and loves to push the pace. The Jayhawks also play at an above-average tempo, ranking 55th in the country in average possession length. 

With both teams playing an up-tempo style and showing cracks on defense, the Over seems like a strong play. That would likely also mean a big game for Zags point guard Ryan Nembhard who has dropped 7+ dimes in eight of his last 10 contests and is averaging 9.1 assists per game over that span.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Gonzaga vs Kansas spread and Over/Under analysis

This spread opened with Gonzaga at -4 with the Over/Under at 151.5. The spread quickly ticked up to -4.5 but the total has remained at 151.5 as of Friday evening. 

These teams are both highly-seeded but both entered the tournament looking extremely vulnerable.

Unlike past seasons, the Zags were the second-best team in the WCC and even their efficient offense has flaws since they lack a go-to scorer and don't space the floor well. That said, they destroyed McNeese State 86-65 in the opening round and are now 4-1 SU and ATS over their last five games.

Many people wrote off the Jayhawks after coach Bill Self announced that star swingman Kevin McCullar Jr. would miss the tournament due to a lingering knee injury. 

They managed to hold on to beat Samford 93-89 as 7.5-point faves in the opening round. However, this is a team that showed flaws even before the injury to McCullar since they haven't won more than two games in a row in the New Year and struggled to beat quality opponents away from home. 

Gonzaga vs Kansas betting trend to know

The first-half Over has cashed in 20 of Gonzaga's last 34 games (+3.80 units / 10% ROI) while going 15-10 O/U in the Jayhawks' previous 25 contests (+3.55 Units / 12% ROI). Find more college basketball betting trends for Gonzaga vs. Kansas.

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