McNeese Cowboys vs Gonzaga Bulldogs Prediction, 3/21/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: McNeese Cowboys vs Gonzaga Bulldogs

Date: Thursday, March 21, 2024

Location: Delta Center in Salt Lake City, UT

TV: TBS

Odds/Point Spread: McNeese (+7)

The Gonzaga Bulldogs (25-7) host the McNeese Cowboys (30-3) at Delta Center on Thursday in the NCAA Tournament. Gonzaga is 7-point favorites. The over/under is 148.5.

The McNeese Cowboys stepped onto the hardwood against Nicholls State and went home with a win by a final score of 92-76 in their last game. McNeese finished the game with a 61.4% FG percentage (27 out of 44) and buried 11 of their 20 three-point attempts. At the free throw line, the Cowboys converted 27 of their 35 attempts for a percentage of 77.1%. When discussing pulling down rebounds, they earned 21 with 6 of them being of the offensive sort. They also distributed 17 assists for this game in addition to forcing 10 turnovers and having 8 steals. When talking about defending, McNeese allowed the other team to shoot 49.0% from the field on 25 of 51 shooting. Nicholls State earned 13 assists and had 3 steals in this contest. Furthermore, Nicholls State grabbed 21 boards (7 offensive, 14 defensive), but wasn't able to record a block. Nicholls State finished shooting 84.2% when shooting free throws by converting 16 of their 19 attempts. They also buried 10 out of their 27 shots from distance. When talking about fouls, the Cowboys walked away with 18 and Nicholls State finished the game with 24 fouls.

Shahada Wells is someone who was a major contributor in this game. He ended up shooting 54.5% from the floor and also recorded 6 assists. He played 34 mins and grabbed 4 rebounds. He ended up scoring 27 points on 6 out of 11 shooting.

Get all of our NCAA Basketball Betting Picks

McNeese heads into this one with a win-loss mark of 30-3 on the year. They turn it over 9.8 times per game and as a squad they are committing 17.3 fouls every game. As a unit, McNeese is pulling in 36.1 rebounds per contest and has accounted for 496 assists for the campaign, which has them ranked 63rd in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. The Cowboys are connecting on 38.8% on shots beyond the perimeter (252 of 649) and 69.1% from the free throw line. They have an average of 80.4 pts per game (37th in college basketball) while going 49.3% from the floor.

On the defensive end, the Cowboys are forcing 16.5 turnovers per game while drawing 18.0 personal fouls. They are 123rd in Division 1 in allowing assists with 398 relinquished for the campaign. The Cowboys are giving up a field goal percentage of 38.5% (681 of 1,769) and they relinquish 32.6 rebounds per game as a basketball team. They concede 31.4% from beyond the arc while they are 5th in D-1 in PPG from their opponents (61.5).

When they last stepped on the court, the Gonzaga Bulldogs took a loss by a score of 69-60 when they faced St. Mary's. Concerning rebounding, Gonzaga allowed St. Mary's to get 37 overall (11 on the offensive side). They went 40.0% from three-point range by connecting on 6 out of 15 and ended up shooting 15 out of 22 from the charity stripe (68.2%). The Bulldogs allowed St. Mary's to convert 24 of 51 attempts from the floor which left them with a rate of 47.1% for this game. When the final whistle blew, the Bulldogs finished shooting 24 out of 54 from the field which had them shooting 44.4%. In relation to shots from downtown, Gonzaga converted 2 out of 11 attempts (18.2%). They were able to knock down 10 of them for a percentage of 71.4%. St. Mary's earned 14 fouls in this matchup which got the Bulldogs to the free throw line for a total of 14 shots. They gave up possession 7 times, while getting 5 steals in this matchup. The Bulldogs snagged 17 defensive boards and 3 offensive boards for a total of 20 in the game.

Nolan Hickman ended up having an impact for the Bulldogs in the matchup. He accumulated 20 points in his 40 minutes on the hardwood and added 6 assists for this contest. He buried 7 of 11 for this contest giving him a rate of 63.6%, and had 4 rebounds.

Gonzaga has a mark of 25-7 for the year. The Bulldogs commit 15.7 fouls per game and they connect on 72.1% from the free throw line. They are getting an assist 16.6 times per contest (21st in the nation) and they are losing possession via turnover 9.8 times per game. Gonzaga has accounted for 2,716 pts this season (84.9 per contest) and they collect 38.9 rebounds per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Bulldogs are shooting 51.6% from the floor, which has them ranked 2nd in college basketball.

The Bulldogs on defense are ranked 86th in D-1 in points given up per game with 69.0. They are able to force 11.5 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 40.5% from the field (22nd in the nation). The Gonzaga defense gives up 33.4% on 3-point shots (244 of 731) and opponents are converting on 72.2% of their foul shots. They give up 11.9 assists and 31.6 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is 93rd and 25th in the nation.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take McNeese (+7)

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