BYU Cougars vs Gonzaga Bulldogs Prediction, 1/7/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: BYU Cougars vs Gonzaga Bulldogs

Date: Thursday, January 7, 2021

Location: McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, WA

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: BYU (+18)

The BYU Cougars (9-2) head to McCarthey Athletic Center on Thursday where they'll take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs (10-0). The line on this contest has Gonzaga as 18-point favorites. The O/U opens at 164.5.

BYU heads into this game with a mark of 9-2 on the year. They average 78.9 pts per contest (75th in the nation) while connecting on 47.8% from the floor. The Cougars are shooting 36.1% on 3-pointers (104 of 288) and 67.8% from the free throw line. As a team, BYU is pulling in 39.3 rebounds per game and has earned 203 assists on the campaign, which is 8th in the country in terms of passing the ball. They are losing possession via turnover 14.4 times per contest and as a group they are committing 18.6 fouls every game. On defense, the Cougars have forced 13.9 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.5 fouls. The Cougars defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 40.5% (265 of 654) and they concede 34.8 rebounds per game as a squad. They rank 247th in the country in allowing assists to the opposition with 127 conceded on the year. They are conceding 33.3% from 3-point land and they rank 116th in college basketball in points per game allowed (67.4).

The BYU Cougars stepped onto the hardwood against the Weber State Wildcats and earned the victory with a final of 87-79 in their last contest. BYU finished the contest having earned a 51.5% FG percentage (34 out of 66) and converted 6 of their 22 3-point attempts. From the charity stripe, the Cougars converted 13 of their 21 attempts for a rate of 61.9%. In relation to rebounding, they collected 37 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 21 assists for the game in addition to earning 5 steals and 2 rejections. With respect to defending, BYU allowed the other team to shoot 51.5% from the field on 34 of 66 shooting. Weber State distributed 10 dimes and had 2 steals in this matchup. In addition, the Wildcats grabbed 29 rebounds (5 offensive, 24 defensive) and got 2 blocked shots. Weber State finished 64.7% from the charity stripe by making 11 of 17 tries. They also converted 10 of their 29 shots from beyond the arc.

Matt Haarms is a player who was a major contributor in the game. He walked away with 15 points on 6 of 9 shooting. He saw the court for 20 minutes and totaled 5 rebounds. Haarms walked away from this one shooting 66.7% from the floor and earned 2 dimes. Another guy that was a determining factor in the game for the Cougars was Brandon Averette. He collected 5 rebounds and tallied 7 assists. He shot 35.7% from the floor in this contest by shooting 5-of-14 (13 points). When all was said and done, Averette played 34 minutes.

Gonzaga has a win-loss record of 10-0 on the season. Gonzaga has earned 951 pts on the campaign (95.1 per contest) and they pull down 39.8 boards per contest. The Bulldogs are committing 16.8 personal fouls per contest while shooting 70.4% from the free throw line. As an offensive unit, the Bulldogs are shooting 55.4% from the floor, which ranks 13th in college hoops. They are assisting teammates 20.7 times per contest (4th in the country) and they are giving up possession 11.9 times per contest. The Bulldogs on the defensive end are ranked 234th in the country in points allowed per game with 72.4. The Gonzaga defense allows 33.5% from downtown (74 of 221) and opponents are converting on 71.3% of their foul shots. They allow 12.1 dimes and 30.1 boards on a nightly basis, which is 134th and 30th in college basketball. They are forcing their opponents into 16.0 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 42.6% from the floor (178th in college basketball).

In their last game, the Gonzaga Bulldogs walked away with a victory by a final of 85-62 against the San Francisco Dons. The Bulldogs snagged 30 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards for a total of 40 for the contest. They also rejected 4 shots while recording 4 steals in this contest. The Dons committed 22 fouls for the contest which took the Bulldogs to the free throw line for a total of 26 shots. They were able to bury 20 of them for a percentage of 76.9%. When it comes to 3-pointers, Gonzaga converted 5 of their 15 attempts (33.3%). Overall, the Bulldogs walked away from this one shooting 30 for 57 from the field which gave them a percentage of 52.6%. The Bulldogs permitted the Dons to bury 21 out of 54 tries from the field which left them with a rate of 38.9% for the contest. They went 34.8% from three-point range via 8 of 23 and ended up going 12 out of 16 at the free throw line (75.0%). In the matter of how they cleaned up the glass, Gonzaga allowed San Francisco to get 23 in all (5 offensive).

Corey Kispert was important for the Bulldogs for the game. He buried 9 of 11 for the contest for a field goal rate of 81.8%, which earned him 26 points. Kispert snagged 3 rebounds in his 35 mins and accumulated 3 assists in this contest. One more player that was pivotal for Gonzaga was Joel Ayayi. He totaled 18 points in 33 minutes played via 7 out of 9 from the floor for the matchup. Ayayi finished going 77.8% from the field in addition to earning 2 assists and 10 boards.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take BYU (+18)

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