Saturday, March 18, 2017

Vivint Smart Home Arena

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The 8 seed Northwestern Wildcats head to Vivint Smart Home Arena to take on the 1 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs on Saturday, March 18, 2017 in the NCAA Tournament. The opening line for this game has Gonzaga as 10.5 point favorites.

The Wildcats finished the regular season with an overall record of 21-10. They are 20-11 against the spread and their over/under record is 9-17. The Bulldogs ended the regular season with a record of 29-1. They have an over/under record of 14-13 and they are 22-8 against the spread.

Bryant McIntosh comes into this contest averaging 14.7 points per game while playing 34.1 minutes per night so far this season for the Wildcats. He pulls down 2.8 rebounds per game and dishes out 5.2 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 41% while his free throw percentage is currently at 86%. Scottie Lindsey averages 14.2 points per game in 30.5 minutes per contest this season. He averages 2.3 assists per contest and 3.8 rebounds per game for Northwestern. His field goal percentage is 43% for the year while his free throw percentage is 84%.

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Nigel Williams-Goss averages 16.6 points per game while playing 32.2 minutes per contest this year for the Bulldogs. He grabs 5.8 rebounds per game and has 4.8 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 51% and his free throw percentage currently is at 90%. Przemek Karnowski averages 12.5 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 22.9 minutes per contest. He also averages 5.9 rebounds per contest and 1.9 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 60% and his free throw percentage is 58%.

Northwestern averages 71.0 points per contest this season which ranks them 233rd in the nation. Their average scoring margin is 5.9 and their shooting percentage is 44% as a team which has them ranked 222nd. Behind the arc they shoot 34% which is good for 215th in the country. They average 36.2 rebounds per game and 15.1 assists per game which ranks them 148th and 72nd in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 336th with 10.6 per game. The Wildcats allow 65.1 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 34th in the nation. They also allow a 40% shooting percentage and a 34% average from behind the arc ranking them 22nd and 105th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 35.2 rebounds a game which ranks 181st and they give up 11.9 assists per contest which puts them in 79th place in the country. They force 11.9 turnovers per game which ranks them 76th in Division 1.

Gonzaga averages 84.0 points per game this year which ranks them 13th in Division 1 college basketball. Their average scoring margin is 23.3 and their shooting percentage is 51% as a team which has them sitting in the 2nd spot in the country. Behind the arc they shoot 38% which is good for 59th in the nation. They average 40.6 rebounds per game and 15.8 assists per contest which ranks them 6th and 42nd respectively. In the turnover department the Bulldogs rank 319th with 11.2 per game. The Bulldogs allow 60.7 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 4th in the country. They also allow a 37% shooting percentage and a 30% average from behind the arc ranking them 2nd and 8th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 32.7 rebounds a game which ranks 51st and they give up 9.6 assists per contest which puts them in 4th place in the nation. The Bulldogs force 12.6 turnovers per game which ranks them 127th in college basketball.

The Wildcats are 113th in the nation in offensive rating at 107. They assist on 59.6% of their shots, which ranks 39th in the country. In terms of pace they average 66.4 possessions per 40 minutes, which places them 306th among D-1 teams. They are 223rd in effective field goal percentage with 50%. As a team they are 213th in the country in true shooting percentage with 54% and they shoot 3 pointers on 36% of their shots. Northwestern turns the ball over an average of 13.8 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 7.7% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage of 50.7% places them 152nd in Division 1 while their offensive rebound percentage is 30.6%.

The Bulldogs are 2nd in the nation in offensive rating at 118.6. They assist on 52.3% of their shots, which ranks 179th in the country. In terms of pace they average 70.8 possessions per 40 minutes, which places them 113th among D-1 teams. They are 6th in effective field goal percentage with 58%. As a team they are 4th in the country in true shooting percentage with 61% and they shoot 3 pointers on 33% of their shots. Gonzaga turns the ball over an average of 13.9 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 10% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage of 55.4% places them 9th in Division 1 while their offensive rebound percentage is 29.8%.

Northwestern Wildcats Betting Trends

The Northwestern Wildcats are 20-11 against the spread

The Northwestern Wildcats are 9-17 against the over/under

Gonzaga Bulldogs Betting Trends

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are 22-8 against the spread

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are 14-13 against the over/under

Northwestern Wildcats Injuries

12/14/16 F Aaron Falzon Knee out for season

Gonzaga Bulldogs Injuries

No key injuries to report

Josh's Pick: Take Northwestern +10.5

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