The Gonzaga Bulldogs are favored by top online betting sites over the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights by 27.5 points. Gonzaga finished the season with a 30-3 SU record (and a perfect 16-0 in WCC play). The Bulldogs also went 21-12 ATS per the best online sportsbooks. GU was the West Coast Conference regular season champions. However, the Bulldogs were upset, as 15-point faves, by the Saint Mary’s Gaels in the championship game. FDU went 21-13 SU this season (12-6 in Northeast Conference play). The Knights bested Saint Francis 85-76 in the NEC championship game as 4.5-point dogs. Moreover, FDU is coming off a win in the first round of the NCAA tournament. They defeated Prairie View A&M 82-76 as two-point favorites. That was the school’s first ever NCAA tourney win.
“It’s overwhelming,” head coach Greg Herenda said. “When you coach for 35 years and you take a team to an NCAA Tournament and a team that, when I got here six years ago, we had nothing. And to build it, and then it’s here, and it’s so sad that every coach can’t experience this.”
Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Fairleigh Dickinson Knights Odds
- Date: Thursday March 21, 2019
- Time: 7:27 PM (EDT)
- Venue: Vivint Smart Home Arena Salt Lake City, UT
- Line from GTBets.eu:
| Team | SP/RL | TOTAL | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair Dickinson | +27 (-110) | 152½(-110) | +5000 |  |
| Gonzaga | -27 (-110) | 152½ (-110) | -12500 | |
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Betting Gonzaga
The Bulldogs are the highest scoring team in the country with 88.8 points per game. Which is not surprising considering their 53.2% field goal shooting. Conversely, GU allows just 65.1 points per game and 38.9% field goal shooting. According to top online betting sites, Gonzaga is 21-1 SU and 14-8 ATS in its last 22 games, winning by an average margin of 30.1 points. The Bulldogs are also 4-0 ATS in their last 4 non-conference games. 7-2 ATS in their last nine games after a straight up loss. 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games following a double-digit home loss. And 1-4 ATS in their last five NCAA tournament games.
“Funny” late show host Jimmy Kimmel may not believe Gonzaga exists. But Rob Curley begs to differ. “If everything goes as it should, what do you think about a bunch of folks from Gonzaga and Spokane stopping by the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” studio on Monday, April 1?” Curley writes. “We’ll prove it to you that this place is not only real, but worth more than just a joke on your show.”
Betting Fairleigh Dickinson
The Knights are averaging 74.7 points per game but also allowing 72.5. FDU shoots 47.4% from the field while its opponents shoot 44.9%. The Knights are 301st in rebounds per game, compared to Gonzaga’s 28th. FDU is 9-0 SU and 8-1 ATS in its last nine games, winning by an average margin of 12.67 points. They are also 4-0 ATS in their last four non-conference games. 8-1 ATS in their last nine games overall. 7-1 ATS in their last eight games after a straight up win. And 6-1 ATS in their last seven games following a cover.
Coach Herenda would not make a good gambler, as he knows the odds but doesn’t care about them. He said, “[UMBC] beat us all to the punch, but I knew it was going to happen. We’re just going (to Utah) to win a basketball game. It’s not 16 and 1, it’s college basketball. I really believe that.”
Pick: This matchup is so disparate that it’s almost not fair. Gonzaga’s superior firepower could easily cover the point spread set by top online betting sites. And then just turn the autopilot on. And if they so choose to. Of course, that would be suspicious. Anyway, take the Bulldogs and the points.
