McNeese vs. Gonzaga Prediction & March Madness Odds: Can Cowboys Continue Historic Season?

Mike Spector

Last Updated: March 21, 2024 4:21 PM EDT • 3 min 27 sec read. Twitter link Google News Link

The McNeese Cowboys look to upset the Gonzaga Bulldogs in a highly anticipated first-round NCAA Tournament matchup, and we have you covered with our top McNeese vs. Gonzaga prediction based on the best March Madness odds.

The 12th-seeded McNeese Cowboys will make their first tournament appearance since 2002 after clinching the Southland Conference's automatic bid. Dominating the conference tournament, they won a pair of games by margins exceeding 16 points, joining the exclusive ranks of Division I teams with 30 wins.

Questions loomed over the No. 5 Gonzaga Bulldogs' NCAA Tournament chances as the regular season concluded. However, they earned a respectable No. 5 seed despite suffering their most losses since 2015-16. This appearance marks the Bulldogs' 25th consecutive entry into the NCAA Tournament.

As part of our March Madness predictions, here is our best McNeese vs. Gonzaga prediction and college basketball picks (odds via our best March Madness betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

McNeese vs. Gonzaga odds

McNeese (No. 12) vs. Gonzaga (No. 5 seed) prediction: Midwest Region

McNeese ML ⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: +230 via BetMGM

McNeese is outscoring opponents by 18.9 points per game, the largest margin in D-I. While Gonzaga will present much different challenges than any Southland opponent, this is still a Tigers squad that won at VCU to begin the season and Michigan before the Wolverines’ freefall. It also earned a 21-point non-conference road win against a UAB team, a No. 12 seed in the East region.

Gonzaga’s NCAA Tournament struggles in the past have largely stemmed from facing teams that can slow the tempo and get physical with its guards and disrupt its offense (i.e. UConn, Baylor, Texas Tech in recent years). McNeese fits this profile to a tee with a tempo that ranks 282nd and the sixth-highest turnover rate forced (23.1%).

McNeese’s pressure defense in the halfcourt also limits opponents to the 29th-lowest 2-point percentage in D-I, which will play huge dividends when defending Graham Ike, who leads the Bulldogs with 16.5 points per game.

BetMGM offers mouthwatering +230 odds, representing an implied probability of 30.30%. Using our odds converter, a winning $10 wager would payout $33.

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McNeese vs. Gonzaga best odds

BetMGM (+230)

DraftKings	FanDuel	BetMGM	Caesars	bet365
+225	+225	+230	+205	+225

BetMGM has the best value for a McNeese moneyline play compared to the rest of our best sports betting sites, with a winning $10 wager at +230 odds would dole out a profit of $23 as opposed to $20.50 at Caesars (+205).

No. 12 seeds are 53-99 SU all-time against No. 5 seeds, and this is always a popular upset pick in NCAA Tournament brackets. However, this may not be as popular as most would expect. No. 5 seeds went 4-0 in the first round last year and won by an average of 12 points per game.

McNeese vs. Gonzaga spread & Over/Under analysis

Caesars and bet365 are the only two of our top sports betting apps offering a spread of Gonzaga -6, as all other competitors are slightly higher at -6.5.

Caesars and BetMGM have seen the most movement on their point spreads as the only shops to reach as low as -5.5 and as high as -6.5. Early spread wagers are 3/1 in support of the favored Bulldogs, who covered 13 of 27 games as favorites this season.

FanDuel is isolated as the only one of our top sports betting sites offering a total of 149.5, with the others offering 148.5 to 150.5.

DraftKings and bet365 were only much lower than the rest of the market, with totals of 145.5, but those totals skyrocketed two or more points within the first hour. The betting splits support that movement, as the early wagers are 2/1 in favor of the Over.

McNeese vs. Gonzaga game info

When: Thursday, March 21
Tip-off: 7:25 p.m. ET
Where: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
How to watch: TBS

McNeese-Gonzaga prediction made Monday at 11:45 a.m. ET.

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Written By:
Mike Spector

Mike started in the sports writing industry in July 2019, and gained a lot of followers in his first year after finishing with the No. 2 overall record in an annual NFL betting competition, which made picks against the spread, and from an Over/Under and moneyline perspective. Mike is an avid fan of the NFL, MLB, tennis, and all college sports. In his opinion, March Madness is the best sporting event there is, and he's especially euphoric starting with conference tournament time in college basketball. Mike's a big advocate of "fading the public" and making plays that are contrarian, constantly citing that "there are reasons why they have those big shiny buildings in Las Vegas." When making wagers, Mike always scours the best odds at all of the major sports betting sites, where he mostly sifts through DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and bet365. He's tried several others and is of the firm belief that bettors should not just stick to one sportsbook, as there is always likely better value to be had with the same wager. In addition, while Mike received his undergraduate degree from Villanova University, he has no issue betting against the Wildcats when it comes to college basketball wagering, and suggests other bettors should always put their “head” before their “hearts.”