Gonzaga vs. Loyola Marymount Expert Prediction - February 16, 2023
GONZAGA VS. LOYOLA MARYMOUNT EXPERT PREDICTION - FEBRUARY 16, 2023 - March Madness isn’t here yet, but the college basketball calendar is getting very important with each passing day. Wins and losses at this stage can easily make or break the year for NCAA Tournament teams.Â
Two West Coast teams face off on Thursday night in a meaningful rematch: Gonzaga vs. Loyola Marymount.Â
The Odds
Matchup |
Open |
Spread |
Points |
Moneyline |
Gonzaga(21-5) |
-7 |
+8 |
o156.5 |
-- |
Loyola Marymount(17-10) |
u156.5 |
-8 |
u156.5 |
-- |
Tipoff
When: Thursday, February 16th at 10:00 pm EST
Where:Â Gersten Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA
TV:Â CBS Sports Network
Public Bets: Loyola Marymount, 76%
Public Money:Â 91%, Loyola Marymount
Odds courtesy of DraftKings, as of February 15th, 2023
Gonzaga
Gonzaga is 13th in the nation and carrying a 21-5 record with eyes set on a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament. They lost to Saint Mary’s on February 4th, but responded with victories over San Francisco and BYU.Â
Gonzaga is 4th in points scored and 1st in points per game. The Bulldogs are also 1st in field goal percentage, 19th in three-point shooting, and 22nd in assists as Mark Few has once again put together a stellar team.
Drew Timme leads the way with 21.1 PPG and 7.4 rebounds as his NBA Draft stock continues to go up.Â
Loyola Marymount
Loyola Marymount is 17-10 and outside of the NCAA picture for the time being, although a couple of wins down the stretch could change that perception.
The Lions come into this one losing three of four, including a heartbreaker to Santa Clara on Saturday and an ugly 28-point loss to BYU. The win, however, was against Saint Mary’s.Â
The Lions are 54th in the nation in points scored and 87th in points per game, not to mention 59th in three-point shooting. Cam Shelton leads the way with an eye-popping 20.3 PPG, and he has back-to-back games with 30 or more points.
Betting Trends
Gonzaga is just 9-16 against the spread this season, and Loyola Marymound is 16-9-1. Gonzaga is also just 2-8 in road games against the spread. On the other hand, the Lions recent play hasn’t been encouraging, even with Gonzaga having to come to LA for this contest.Â
In the meeting earlier this year, Loyola Marymount tunned Gonzaga in Spokane, 68-67. It was the Cam Shelton Show, and he scored 27 points on 11-23 from the field. Gonzaga has just three scorers in double figures, and Julian Strawther – the team’s second-highest scorer on the year – went 1-8 for 6 points in a disappointing effort.Â
The Loyola Marymount defense clamped down in one of the biggest upsets of the season, especially with Gonzaga’s dominance at home over the past half-decade.
The Pick
It’s simple: if Loyola Marymount beats Gonzaga again, the Lions bubble hopes stay alive, and the Bulldogs drop to nearly the brink of the Top 25.
However, Gonzaga won’t let that happen again. The Bulldogs have won five of the last six games since losing to Loyola Marymount, and the Lions are just 3-3 since that game. Gonzaga wins, although the Lions make a late run thanks to another phenomenal effort by Cam Shelton.Â
Matt's' Picks |
Gonzaga MoneylineLoyola Marymount, +8OVER 156.5 Total Points |
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