Gonzaga Bulldogs vs Kansas Jayhawks Prediction, 3/23/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Gonzaga Bulldogs vs Kansas Jayhawks

Date: Saturday, March 23, 2024

Location: Delta Center in Salt Lake City, UT

TV: CBS

Odds/Point Spread: Gonzaga (-4)

Delta Center is the site where the Kansas Jayhawks (23-10) will attempt to defeat the Gonzaga Bulldogs (26-7) on Saturday in the 2nd round of the NCAA Tournament. Kansas opens this game as -4-point underdogs. The total has been set at 151.5.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs took the court against McNeese State and walked away with a win by a score of 86-65 in their last game. Gonzaga ended the game having earned a 51.7% field goal percentage (31 out of 60) and knocked down 10 of 21 shots from beyond the arc. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Bulldogs made 14 of their 18 attempts for a rate of 77.8%. When talking about getting rebounds, they compiled 38 with 9 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 22 dimes for the matchup as well as forcing the other team into 6 turnovers and having 4 steals. Concerning defense, Gonzaga allowed their opponent to shoot 33.3% from the floor on 23 out of 69 shooting. McNeese State recorded 10 assists and had 7 steals for the matchup. Moreover, McNeese State pulled down 31 rebounds (13 offensive, 18 defensive), but finished the game with no rejections. McNeese State finished the game at 73.7% at the free throw line by converting 14 of 19 attempts. They also knocked down 5 of their 22 tries from beyond the arc. In reference to fouls, the Bulldogs walked away with 16 while McNeese State totaled 16 fouls.

Graham Ike is a guy who was a major factor for this contest. He ended up going 100.0% from the floor but wasn't able to get a dime. He was on the hardwood for 23 mins and totaled 10 rebounds. He accumulated 16 points on 6 of 6 shooting.

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Gonzaga will play this contest with a win-loss record of 26-7 for the season. They currently have an average of 84.9 points per game (7th in the nation) while connecting on 51.6% from the floor. The Bulldogs are shooting 35.8% on shots from downtown (229 of 640) and 72.3% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Gonzaga is pulling in 39.2 rebounds per game and is sitting with 552 dimes for the year, which is 24th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession by turning the ball over 9.9 times per game and as a squad they commit 15.7 fouls every game.

On defense, the Bulldogs are able to force 11.4 turnovers every game while drawing 16.9 personal fouls. They are relinquishing 33.1% on 3-point attempts and they are 85th in college basketball in PPG from their opponents (68.8). The Bulldogs defensively are allowing a shooting percentage of 40.3% (823 of 2,043) and they relinquish 31.7 boards per contest as a team. They are ranked 100th in D-1 in allowing assists to their opponents with 390 surrendered on the season.

The last time they took the hardwood, the Kansas Jayhawks got the win with a final of 93-89 when they faced Samford. The Jayhawks were able to corral 34 defensive boards and 7 offensive boards for a total of 41 for the matchup. They also turned the ball over 17 times, while earning 5 steals in this contest. Samford earned 20 personal fouls for the contest which took the Jayhawks to the charity stripe for a total of 27 shots. They were able to knock down 17 of them for a rate of 63.0%. In the matter of three-point attempts, Kansas converted 6 out of their 18 tries (33.3%). When all was said and done, the Jayhawks went 35 out of 58 from the field which gave them a rate of 60.3%. The Jayhawks permitted Samford to make 30 of their 73 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 41.1% in this contest. They finished shooting 43.2% from downtown by shooting 16 out of 37 and finished the contest at 13 out of 23 from the free throw line (56.5%). In relation to attacking the glass, Kansas allowed Samford to grab 30 in total (9 offensive).

KJ Adams ended up being important for the Jayhawks in this matchup. He made 10 out of 13 in the matchup for a field goal rate of 76.9%, and tallied 4 rebounds. He had 20 points in his 39 minutes on the hardwood and had 6 assists for this game.

Kansas has a win-loss record of 23-10 for the campaign. When it comes to executing on offense, the Jayhawks are hitting on 49.2% from the field, which ranks 10th in the country. Kansas has scored 2,501 points so far this season (75.8 per contest) and they snag 36.2 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 19.0 times per game (1st in college hoops) and they turn the ball over 11.8 times per contest. The Jayhawks are responsible for committing 14.8 personal fouls every game and they hit 72.3% from the free throw line.

The Jayhawks defensively are ranked 98th in Division 1 in points per game surrendered with 69.3. They are forcing their opponents into 11.7 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 40.4% from the field (16th in Division 1). The Kansas defense concedes 33.7% on 3-pointers (281 of 834) and their opponents are converting on 69.5% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have allowed 12.7 dimes and 33.6 boards per contest, which is ranked 159th and 117th in college hoops.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Kansas (+4)

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