The No. 6 Baylor Bears will try to extend their 18-game winning streak in the month of December when they face the No. 14 Gonzaga Bulldogs Friday night at Sanford Sports Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. Baylor is coming off a 96-70 loss to Marquette on Tuesday, while Gonzaga picked up an 88-84 win over Xavier on Sunday. This is the first meeting between these teams since Baylor beat Gonzaga in the 2021 national title game.
Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET. The Bulldogs are 2.5-point favorites in the latest Gonzaga vs. Baylor odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 161.5. Before entering any Baylor vs. Gonzaga picks, you’ll want to see the college basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past six-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated more than $1,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anybody who has followed it has seen profitable returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Baylor vs. Gonzaga. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds for Gonzaga vs. Baylor:
Baylor vs. Gonzaga spread: Gonzaga -2.5Baylor vs. Gonzaga over/under: 161.5 pointsBaylor vs. Gonzaga money line: Baylor +125, Gonzaga -145Baylor vs. Gonzaga picks: See picks here
Featured Game | Baylor Bears vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs
Why Baylor can cover
Gonzaga was expected to be one of the top teams in college basketball this season, but it has failed to live up to expectations so far this year. The Bulldogs have not covered the spread in three straight games and are just 4-2 (1-5 ATS) in their last six games overall. They have suffered double-digit losses to Purdue and Texas during that stretch, and they had to erase an 8-point deficit in their narrow win over Xavier on Sunday.
The Bulldogs are going to have trouble covering the spread against a Baylor offense that ranks inside the top-10 nationally, averaging 88.1 points per game. The Bears are led by junior guard LJ Cryer (17.9 points per game) and senior guard Adam Flagler (16.9). They have covered the spread in four of the last five meetings between these teams and have more scoring prowess at the top of their lineup than Gonzaga.
Why Gonzaga can cover
Baylor has not proven that it can consistently beat high-level teams so far this season, losing to Virginia and getting blown out by Marquette. The Bears committed 20 turnovers in the loss to Marquette, with 16 of them coming in the first half. They trailed 51-25 at halftime and never got within 20 points in the second half.
Gonzaga bounced back from a loss to Purdue with an 88-84 win over Xavier in the third-place game of the Phil Knight Legacy tournament. Julian Strawther scored a career-high 23 points in that game, and he now ranks second on the team in scoring. Veteran big man Drew Timme is averaging a team-high 20.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, shooting a red-hot 62.1% from the floor.
How to make Baylor vs. Gonzaga picks
The model has simulated Gonzaga vs. Baylor 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Baylor vs. Gonzaga? And which side of the spread hits almost 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine to see which side of the Gonzaga vs. Baylor spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up over $1,500 on its college basketball picks the last six years, and find out.
