Shockers vs. Bulldogs NCAA Tourney Spread/Handicapping
The No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs and the No. 9 Wichita State Shockers each took down their round 2 opponents on Thursday, and now they’re set to face off in Salt Lake City in round 3.
NCAA Tournament – West Bracket
No. 9 Wichita State Shockers (27-8, 12-6 MVC) vs. No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs (32-2, 16-0 WCC)
Saturday, March 23, 2013
8:40 PM ET
Salt Lake City, UT
Spread: Gonzaga – 6.5 at WagerWeb
ML: Wichita St. 250, Gonzaga -300
OU: 129
Check Out Ray’s CBB Plays Today!
Wichita State Shockers
Wichita State pulled off the upset against No. 8 Pittsburgh on Thursday, and now it has a chance to play the role of spoiler again for No. 1 Gonzaga. The Gonzaga Bulldogs are coming into this game looking like the weakest No. 1 team in the country after their near-fall to No. 16 Southern University.
CLICK GRAB OUR BEST Expert CBB Picks for 2013 MARCH MADNESS GAMBLING season!
Wichita State’s confidence should be high, but they’ll need more than confidence to take down a team looking to save their good name.
Wichita State rebounds well, which is something they’ll have to do on the offensive end. It doesn’t shoot with great efficiency, as it is just 115h in the nation in field-goal percentage. Grabbing those boards against the Zags’ bigs is going to be a massive part of the game plan.
The other part of the game plan is going to be a swarming defense. This team can be rugged on offense, but bullying the Bulldogs defensively will help rattle the No. 1 seed even further.
Gonzaga Bulldogs
The Gonzaga Bulldogs gave fans a monumental scare Thursday when they nearly fell to the No. 16 seed Southern University Jaguars. Fans can breathe easy, as the team rallied and won 64-58, but the question is, does this group have reason to worry moving forward? [ad-6571516]
One thing that the Jaguars did was expose the perimeter deficiencies of Gonzaga on the defensive side of the floor. Southern was able to shoot 43.5 percent from behind the arc, as it played patiently on offense and moved the ball creating good looks.
Defensively, Southern made life tough at the rim for the Bulldogs, who had traditionally dominated others with their size. Unfortunately for Gonzaga, it’s going up against another team with a shot-blocking presence in Wichita State, and they’ll have to execute their two-man game with Elias Harris and Kelly Olynyk better.
All that being said, you have to remember that this team is a No. 1 seed for a reason. A bad win is still a win, and the best teams learn from their mistakes. Expect Wichita State to come out confident, but expect Gonzaga to play with a ferocity we only saw at the end of their last game.
Although the Shockers may be the rougher team, Gonzaga is more talented. Nobody on Wichita State can handle Olynyk if he gets himself going, and that’s going to be the No. 1 objective for the No. 1 seed.
If the Bulldogs have another bad performance, that’s when we can start to worry. However, one bad showing means little at this point, as a bit of a scare could prove to be motivation in round 3.
Prediction: Gonzaga 78 – Wichita St. 66
