Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. BYU Cougars Prediction & Game Preview - 2/5/2022

Time: 10 p.m. ET

Venue: Marriott Center, Provo, UT

Where to watch: ESPN

DraftKings: Gonzaga -11.5

BetMGM: Gonzaga -13.5

Caesars: Gonzaga -12.5

No. 2 Gonzaga: 18-2 (7-0 WCC)

BYU: 17-7 (5-4 WCC)

What a time for the BYU Cougars to go on a rough losing streak. And with the Gonzaga Bulldogs coming to town, no less. 

If there was ever a time to feel good about laying a bunch of points on the No. 2 Bulldogs this weekend, it'd be this one on the road against a suddenly struggling BYU group.

It feels like forever since Gonzaga took a loss, and did so in emphatic fashion. You have to go back to Dec. 4 to find Gonzaga's last defeat, on a neutral site by nine points to the Alabama Crimson Tide. Since then, the Zags have been arguably the most dominant team in the country.

Every win has come by double digits with the closest being 14 points against a very good Texas Tech team. That includes Gonzaga's 7-0 start in WCC play has been a dominant run, including wins against BYU and San Francisco at home.

The Bulldogs are coming off a 92-62 win on the road at San Diego in what was another dominant display from Chet Holmgren with 23 points and 12 rebounds. The big man shot 9 of 12 as his team shot a combined 56% from the floor while only needing to take 12 3-pointers.

"This team is recognizing what all these different approaches were," Bulldogs coach Mark Few said after his team won its 25th straight conference game by double digits. "That's probably what I'm most excited about, just their ability to read and react."

That's not really a good sign given the fact BYU should be a team considered a threat in the WCC. As evidence of the 110-84 win by Gonzaga on Jan. 13 at home, BYU has not been able to make things competitive. Drew Timme had 30 points in that game, then followed that with 32 five days later at Santa Clara.

But not even Alex Barcello's game-high 25 points last game against San Francisco prepared the Cougars for the rough shooting night they would endure. Take out Barcello's 8 of 13 shooting night, and the Cougars shot just 14 of 42, good for 33.3%. BYU's best player right now has no help, and that needs to be heavily considered going into this matchup.

Gonzaga is 6-0-1 against the spread in its last seven as a road favorite. Forget the fact they've been dominant straight-up; find a way to be just as good on the books, you'll believe that group in any situation. The Bulldogs' offense is even clicking at a rampant pace, going 4-0-1 in their last five against the spread after scoring at least 90 points the previous game. I don't see how they don't keep this pace up against a reeling BYU club. Gonzaga by 20

Gonzaga is 42-35 ATS as a favorite this season.

The over is 14-6 in Gonzaga's last 20 road games.

BYU is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 as an underdog.

The over is 14-5 in BYU's last 19 when getting revenge on an opponent.

PG: Rasir Bolton

SG: Andrew Nembhard
SF: Julian Strawther
PF: Drew Timme
C: Chet Holmgren

PG: Alex Barcello

SG: Te'Jon Lucas
SF: Trevin Knell
PF: Fousseyni Traore
C: Caleb Lohner