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Gonzaga vs. Kansas Picks, Best Bet: Bulldogs, Jayhawks to Score Plenty in Round 2

Rob Paul

Last Updated: March 23, 2024 1:30 PM EDT • 3 min 12 sec read.

Hunter Dickinson of the Kansas Jayhawks against the Samford Bulldogs in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. We're expecting another high-scoring game for the Jayhawks in our Gonzaga vs. Kansas picks and best bet.
Hunter Dickinson of the Kansas Jayhawks against the Samford Bulldogs in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images via AFP.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs face off with the Kansas Jayhawks in the second round of the NCAA Tournament as we offer our Gonzaga vs. Kansas picks and best bet based on the best March Madness odds.

The No. 4 seed Kansas Jayhawks (23-10), once considered a strong contender, have grappled with depth issues and injuries throughout the season under coach Bill Self's leadership. They'll try to shake those off in their second-round matchup with the No. 5 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs (26-7), slated for 3:15 p.m. ET on CBS from the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

The Jayhawks' myriad issues nearly led to an upset against the No. 13 Samford Bulldogs in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. It won't get any easier against the Gonzaga Bulldogs, the fifth seed in the Midwest Region that easily handled McNeese State in the first round and enters this second-round matchup as a 4.5-point favorite across our best sports betting sites.

As part of our March Madness predictions, here are our best Gonzaga vs. Kansas picks and best bets (odds via our best March Madness betting sites; Pick confidence is based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Gonzaga vs. Kansas odds

Gonzaga (5) vs. Kansas (4) best bet: Midwest Region 

Over 151.5 ⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: -115 via Betway

It's been a tough year for the Jayhawk faithful. Kansas opened the season ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll, but the team has been struggling due to a lack of bench support, and it's now without All-Big 12 guard Kevin McCullar Jr. for the NCAA Tournament.

But despite its obvious problems, Kansas still boasts a lethal one-two punch in Hunter Dickinson and KJ Adams. Those two should be able to help the Jayhawks keep pace with an explosive Gonzaga offense.

Dickinson is a mismatch creator at 7-foot-1 and 255 pounds, and he's averaging 18.0 points per game and shooting 55.3% from the floor. He's the key to the Jayhawks' offense in this matchup, with Gonzaga trotting out just one player over 6-foot-9 in its main six-man rotation.

With Dickinson down low, Kansas is ninth in the country in field-goal percentage (49.2%) and 20th in 2-point percentage (56.1%). Meanwhile, Adams (12.7 points per game) has taken his game up a notch with McCullar out, and he's scored 20-plus points in two straight outings.

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Both Dickinson and Adams will need to be at their best to go toe-to-toe with this Gonzaga offense. The Bulldogs are seventh in the country in points per game (84.9) and rank eighth in adjusted offensive efficiency, according to KenPom. Mark Few isn't short on scorers either, as the Zags boast the five top players in OBPR in the West Coast Conference during 2023-24, according to EvanMiya, and four of them are averaging at least 12.8 points per game.

With Graham Ike and Nolan Hickman leading the way, Gonzaga is second in the country in field-goal percentage (51.6%), sixth in 2-point percentage (58.9%), and the team shoots 35.8% from behind the arc. This is a versatile scoring group that should be able to push a Kansas defense that hasn't looked the same since losing McCullar. The Zags have scored at least 86 points in nine of their last 11 games. 

The -115 odds at Betway imply a 53.49% probability that the Over will hit, according to our odds calculator. With those odds, a $10 bet would lead to a $8.70 profit.

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Gonzaga  vs. Kansas spread & Over/Under analysis

Once Kansas sealed the deal against Samford in the early hours of Friday morning, Gonzaga opened as a 3.5-point favorite at Betway ahead of this matchup. The line has since moved to -4.5 for the Bulldogs with concerns tied to Kansas' defense holding up due to its lack of depth. The Jayhawks are just 13-19-1 ATS in 2023-24, while Gonzaga is 16-16, including 4-1 in its last five.

The game total opened at 151.5. One of the nation's best offenses powers the Bulldogs, so the total could get as high as 153.5 before tipoff. The Zags are only 16-16 to the Over in 2023-24, but 7-3 in their last 10. The Jayhawks are 15-17-1 to the Over and 4-3 in their last seven.

Gonzaga vs. Kansas game info

  • When: Saturday, March 23
  • Tip-off: 3:15 p.m. ET
  • Where: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
  • How to watch: CBS

Gonzaga-Kansas prediction made Friday at 11:55 a.m. ET.

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Written By:
Rob Paul
A diehard Pittsburgh Steelers fan, Rob's passion for the NFL led him to the NFL Draft, which in turn sparked his love for collegiate sports. Growing up, he was particularly obsessed with the old Big East, MAC, and the Big Ten. That obsession led him to pursue a career in sports media, first as a local reporter, and now as a betting analyst. There's nothing Rob loves more than spending hours on the couch watching college football/basketball, NFL, NBA, or MLB, and hopefully hitting a few bets.