Dixie State Trailblazers vs Gonzaga Bulldogs Prediction, 12/29/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Dixie State Trailblazers vs Gonzaga Bulldogs

Date: Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Location: McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, WA

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Dixie State (+36.5)

The Dixie State Trailblazers (4-1) are headed to McCarthey Athletic Center on Tuesday where they'll meet the Gonzaga Bulldogs (7-0). Dixie State opens this contest as 36.5-point underdogs. The over/under is set at 166.5.

Dixie State steps onto the court with a mark of 4-1 so far this season. They turn it over 13.2 times per contest and as a group they are committing 20.4 fouls per game. As a unit, Dixie State is snagging 37.0 rebounds per game and has tallied 83 assists so far this year, which has them ranked 212th in the nation in terms of passing. The Trailblazers are connecting on 35.6% on shots from beyond the arc (37 of 104) and 62.3% from the charity stripe. They average 80.2 points per outing (74th in D-1) while going 48.9% from the field. When they are on defense, the Trailblazers are forcing 16.2 turnovers per game and they draw 20.4 personal fouls. The Trailblazers defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 42.1% (126 of 299) and they surrender 37.4 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They are currently ranked 53rd in college hoops in giving up assists with 58 surrendered so far this year. They give up 25.5% on shots from distance while they are 160th in college basketball in PPG allowed (69.0).

The Dixie State Trailblazers faced off with the Bethesda Flames and earned the victory with a final of 90-69 in their last contest. Dixie State walked away from the game with a 63.2% field goal percentage (36 out of 57) and made 5 out of their 15 3-point attempts. From the free throw line, the Trailblazers converted 13 of their 28 attempts for a rate of 46.4%. Pertaining to hauling in boards, they earned 37 with 6 of them being of the offensive sort. They also doled out 25 assists in the game in addition to earning 9 steals and 2 rejections. Regarding defending, Dixie State allowed the other team to go 63.2% from the floor on 36 of 57 shooting. Bethesda distributed 12 assists and had 7 steals in this game. Additionally, the Flames snagged 28 rebounds (7 offensive, 21 defensive) and earned 2 blocks. Bethesda ended up shooting 53.8% at the free throw line by knocking down 7 of their 13 attempts. They also knocked down 6 out of their 27 attempts from beyond the arc.

Frank Staine is one player who played a role for the contest. He walked away with 14 points on 6 of 8 shooting. He saw the court for 25 minutes played and also snagged 2 rebounds. Staine ended up shooting 75.0% from the floor and also totaled 3 assists. An additional guy that played a role in the matchup for the Trailblazers was Jacob Nicolds. He totaled 12 boards and also accounted for 2 dimes. He ended up shooting 75.0% from the field for this contest by going 6-of-8 (14 points). Overall, Nicolds saw the court for 24 minutes.

Gonzaga has a win-loss mark of 7-0 this year. When it comes to executing on offense, the Bulldogs are connecting on 55.7% from the field, which ranks 23rd in the nation. Gonzaga has scored 666 pts this season (95.1 per game) and they grab 39.4 rebounds per game. They are dishing out assists 21.6 times per game (4th in college hoops) and they turn the ball over 12.9 times per contest. The Bulldogs are responsible for committing 16.9 fouls every game while shooting 71.2% from the free throw line. The Bulldogs on defense are ranked 277th in college hoops in points allowed per contest with 76.7. The Gonzaga defense gives up 34.3% on 3-point attempts (57 of 166) and opponents are knocking down 71.2% of their foul shots. They have relinquished 12.7 dimes and 30.7 rebounds per contest, which is ranked 167th and 41st in the country. They are able to force 15.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 44.1% from the field (228th in D-1).

When they last stepped on the court, the Gonzaga Bulldogs got the win with a final of 98-75 against the Virginia Cavaliers. The Bulldogs were able to collect 22 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds for a total of 30 in this contest. They also turned away 2 tries while recording 8 steals in the game. The Cavaliers committed 20 fouls in this matchup which took the Bulldogs to the free throw line for 23 shots. They were able to knock down 18 of the free throw tries for a rate of 78.3%. In regard to shots from beyond the perimeter, Gonzaga made 10 out of 20 attempts (50.0%). When the final whistle blew, the Bulldogs ended up shooting 35 out of 58 from the floor which had them at 60.3%. The Bulldogs permitted the Cavaliers to convert 26 of their 54 tries from the floor which left them with a rate of 48.1% in the matchup. They finished 40.0% from distance by connecting on 10 of 25 and ended up going 13 of 16 at the free throw line (81.3%). With respect to rebounding, Gonzaga permitted Virginia to collect 25 overall (7 on the offensive glass).

Drew Timme pitched in for the Bulldogs for the game. He converted 9 out of 15 in this matchup giving him a rate of 60.0%, which got him 29 points. Timme grabbed 8 boards in his 28 minutes and had 3 assists for this contest. An additional guy that was pivotal for Gonzaga was Corey Kispert. He accumulated 32 points in his 30 minutes played via 11 out of 15 shooting in this matchup. Kispert finished going 73.3% from the floor while also earning 3 assists and 2 rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Gonzaga (-36.5)

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