Gonzaga Bulldogs vs Portland Pilots Prediction, 1/9/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Gonzaga Bulldogs vs Portland Pilots

Date: Saturday, January 9, 2021

Location: Chiles Center in Portland, OR

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Gonzaga (-33.5)

The Gonzaga Bulldogs (11-0) travel to Chiles Center on Saturday where they'll meet the Portland Pilots (6-4). Gonzaga opens this game as 33.5-point favorites. The O/U opens at 166.

Gonzaga heads into this game with a mark of 11-0 on the year. The Bulldogs are shooting 34.5% on shots beyond the perimeter (78 of 226) and 70.8% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 94.3 pts per game (2nd in the nation) while shooting 54.8% from the field. They turn it over 11.5 times per game and as a team they are committing 17.1 fouls per contest. As a unit, Gonzaga is grabbing 39.2 rebounds per contest and has racked up 226 assists on the campaign, which has them ranked 2nd in D-1 in terms of passing the rock. Defensively, the Bulldogs are forcing 16.0 turnovers per contest while drawing 20.2 fouls. They are relinquishing 32.9% from 3-point land and they are 227th in D-1 in PPG allowed (72.1). The Bulldogs are giving up a shooting percentage of 42.8% (285 of 666) and they concede 30.8 rebounds per game as a group. They rank 247th in college basketball in giving up assists with 131 surrendered on the campaign.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs took the court against the BYU Cougars and took home the win by a score of 86-69 in their last game. Gonzaga wrapped up the game having earned a 49.2% field goal percentage (32 of 65) and knocked down 7 out of their 20 shots from 3-point land. From the charity stripe, the Bulldogs made 15 of 20 attempts for a percentage of 75.0%. When it comes to hauling in rebounds, they collected 29 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 19 dimes in the game in addition to getting 10 steals and 2 blocked shots. Pertaining to defending, Gonzaga allowed the other team to go 49.2% from the field on 32 of 65 shooting. BYU distributed 10 assists and had 3 steals for the game. Moreover, the Cougars totaled 34 rebounds (9 offensive, 25 defensive) and added 2 blocked shots. BYU finished 78.6% from the charity stripe by converting 11 of their 14 shots. They also knocked down 4 out of their 16 attempts from 3-point land.

Corey Kispert is a guy who came through in this matchup. He racked up 23 points on 9 out of 16 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 35 mins played and also collected 3 rebounds. Kispert went 56.3% from the floor and also distributed 2 assists. Someone else that was a major contributor in this game for the Bulldogs was Jalen Suggs. He snagged 5 rebounds and collected 5 assists. He finished shooting 50.0% from the field for this game by hitting 6-of-12 (16 points). In all, Suggs was on the hardwood for 30 min.

Portland has a win-loss record of 6-4 on the year. As an offense, the Pilots are hitting on 41.4% from the field, which is ranked 292nd in the nation. Portland has totaled 725 points for the campaign (72.5 per contest) and they pull in 33.9 rebounds per game. Their rate of earning assists is at 10.7 times per contest (309th in the nation) and they cough up possession 15.3 times per contest. The Pilots commit 16.3 fouls every game and they go 76.9% from the charity stripe. The Pilots on defense are ranked 291st in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 77.0. They surrender 17.9 assists and 38.4 rebounds per contest, which is ranked 334th and 286th in those categories on the defensive end. The Portland defense gives up 34.8% from downtown (96 of 276) and their opponents are knocking down 71.3% of their shots from the charity stripe. They are forcing their opponents into 16.5 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 45.0% from the floor (258th in college hoops).

The last time they took the hardwood, the Portland Pilots went home defeated by a final of 88-64 when they faced the San Francisco Dons. The Pilots were able to corral 19 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards totaling 27 for this game. They also blocked 2 tries while recording 10 steals for the matchup. The Dons were called for 19 fouls for this game which got the Pilots to the free throw line for 21 attempts. They were able to convert 15 of the free throws for a percentage of 71.4%. With respect to shooting from beyond the arc, Portland converted 5 of their 16 attempts (31.3%). When this game wrapped up, the Pilots went 22 for 56 from the floor which had them at 39.3%. The Pilots permitted the Dons to convert 34 of their 66 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 51.5% for the game. They finished 37.5% from distance by connecting on 15 of 40 and finished the contest at 5 of 7 from the free throw line (71.4%). When it comes to attacking the glass, Portland permitted San Francisco to collect 37 overall (10 on the offensive glass).

Isiah Dasher was important for the Pilots in this matchup. He converted 6 of 13 in the matchup for a field goal rate of 46.2%, which gave him 17 points. Dasher pulled down 4 boards in his 30 minutes and earned 2 assists for the game. An additional guy that was pivotal for Portland was Ahmed Ali. He left the arena with 13 points in 24 minutes on the hardwood via 5 out of 9 shooting in the game. Ali finished going 55.6% from the floor and also collecting 3 assists and 2 boards.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Gonzaga (-33.5)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here