Portland has surprisingly held its own in this head-to-head series going 6-2-1 ATS in the last nine meetings with the Zags, and this is a much weaker Gonzaga team than recent seasons this year.
The Bulldogs have already lost seven games, and all of those defeats have come away from home as they are just 5-7 SU either on the road or on neutral courts. Gonzaga lost its last game 80-75 at St. Mary’s last Monday, and its defense is allowing a horrific 83.5 points per game on the road. Yes the Bulldogs played a difficult non-conference schedule, but that is still too many points for a double-digit road favorite like this to be giving up.
The Pilots are 6-3 SU here at home overall including a perfect 2-0 inside the conference, and they blew out Loyola Marymount 81-65 the last time they played in this building. They shoot the ball much better at home that they do on the road, as their 67.4 points per game and 46.9 percent shooting at home are considerably better than their 58.7 points on 40.0 percent shooting overall. Throw in a frenzied home crowd and a national ESPN audience, and we look for the Pilots to give the Zags all that they can handle tonight.
The Bulldogs have already lost seven games, and all of those defeats have come away from home as they are just 5-7 SU either on the road or on neutral courts. Gonzaga lost its last game 80-75 at St. Mary’s last Monday, and its defense is allowing a horrific 83.5 points per game on the road. Yes the Bulldogs played a difficult non-conference schedule, but that is still too many points for a double-digit road favorite like this to be giving up.
The Pilots are 6-3 SU here at home overall including a perfect 2-0 inside the conference, and they blew out Loyola Marymount 81-65 the last time they played in this building. They shoot the ball much better at home that they do on the road, as their 67.4 points per game and 46.9 percent shooting at home are considerably better than their 58.7 points on 40.0 percent shooting overall. Throw in a frenzied home crowd and a national ESPN audience, and we look for the Pilots to give the Zags all that they can handle tonight.
