Updated Gonzaga vs. Georgia State Odds, Spread, Pick & Predictions for 2022 NCAA Tournament

by BettingPros Staff |
Mar 14, 2022

Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Georgia State Panthers 2022 NCAA Tournament Game Preview

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Gonzaga Bulldogs Spread: -23.5
Georgia State Panthers Spread: +23.5
Gonzaga Bulldogs Moneyline: -10000
Georgia State Panthers Moneyline: +3300
Game Over/Under: 148.5

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Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Georgia State Panthers Match Up Overview

	Gonzaga	Georgia State
Conference	WCC	Sun Belt
W-L	26-3	18-10
AdjEM	1st	151st
AdjO	3rd	202nd
AdjD	7th	112th
Tempo	4th	175th
eFG%	2nd	344th
TO%	39th	77th
OR%	148th	44th
FTR	188th	181st
DeFG%	1st	170th
DTO%	268th	19th
DR%	21st	281st
DFTR	16th	248th
Luck	268th	57th

Stats via KenPom.

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Gonzaga Bulldogs Preview

While Gonzaga the past few years has been â€œclear Tier 1â€ dominant, this year they are only â€œtier 1â€ dominant. Mark Few has led Gonzaga to another WCC title, capturing their third straight 1 seed in the tournament.

When discussing this squad, you have to start with Chet Holmgren and Drew Timme. The duo gizes Gonzaga the best frontcourt in the nation and makes it nearly impossible to stop this team down low, where the Bulldogs prefer to shoot the rock. Even if teams swarm down low, the Bulldogs have the ability to kick it out for beyond-the-arc looks (ranking 18th in the nation at 3pt%), and they captialize on missed shots (ranking seventh in second-chance conversion percentage). What isnâ€™t discussed as much about the bulldogs is their sixth-ranked KenPom defense. Fewâ€™s squad rebounds well to eliminate potential second-chance opportunities and stays out of foul trouble to help boost their defense, which ranks first in 2pt%.

Gonzaga isnâ€™t exactly unstoppable, however. Holmgren is still developing, and weâ€™ve witnessed the Bulldogs put up some duds. If this team is to be upset early, it would be by a big, physical team that limits Gonzaga down low, combined with the Bulldogs being off from deep. That said, this is still a dynamic team that should be your favorite to cut down the nets in New Orleans. I would be surprised if this team doesnâ€™t make the Final Four.

Georgia State Panthers Preview

Georgia State is one of the more surprising teams in the field considering that their offense ranked 203rd in the nation and they started the season 6-9. But survive and advance, right? Coach Rob Lanier led his team to a strong finish, as this squad is riding a 10-game winning streak into the NCAA Tournament.

Since that streak began on Feb. 5, Georgia State has ranked 70th in adjusted efficiency. That's higher than Providence, Michigan State, Wyoming, and USC during that time frame. If Georgia State can play to their recent form, they are capable of keeping it close with their opponent.

Georgia State is all about defense. Their interior-focused defense has limitied opponents to 45.4% shooting from inside the arc, 26th best in the nation. Their iwn shooting numbers are really bad, but they do take care of the ball and grab a lot of offensive rebounds to negate their flaws a bit.

If Georgia State matches up against a team that doesn't like shooting threes, they have a chance at an upset.

Rapid Prediction for Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Georgia State Panthers

Your number one overall seed kicks off tournament play Thursday afternoon against the fighting Panthers of Georgia State. I was honestly surprised at the committee tagging Georgia State as a 16-seed, considering Georgia State finished the season 10-0, ranking 70th in adjusted efficiency turning that stretch. The Panthers are playing their best basketball right now. So of course theyâ€™re running into an absolute gauntlet.

There is a reason this Gonzaga team was granted the number-one overall seed. Drew Timme and Chet Holmgren are top-10 players in the nation and I cannot imagine Georiga State having any chance at stopping them considering their aggressive lack of size. In past tournaments where Mark Few's squads have snagged a one-seed, the tenured coach has shown no mercy. I don't expect this game to be any different.

Considering this is Chet Holmgren's first NCAA Tournament game, I imagine Few will want to get involved early and often to get his tournament feet wet. Georgia State only has one player over 6-8, so either Timme or Holmgren will have a miss-match all game. Despite Georgia State playing their absolute best basketball right now, they are simply no match for the high flying Bulldogs team.

Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Georgia State Panthers Round 1 Game Pick

Gonzaga -23.5

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