Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. San Francisco Dons Prediction & Game Preview - 2/24/2022

Time: 9 p.m. ET

Venue: War Memorial at the Sobrato Center, San Francisco, CA

Where to watch: ESPN2

DraftKings: Gonzaga -9.5

BetMGM: Gonzaga -9.5

Caesars: Gonzaga -10

No. 1 Gonzaga: 23-2 (12-0 WCC)

San Francisco: 22-7 (9-5 WCC)

The last time the Gonzaga Bulldogs won a conference game not by double digits, I’m almost certain that Bush was in office, and I’m talking H.W.

The top team in the country has been playing like it since WCC play began, going 12-0 and winning every game by double digits. Gonzaga has won by an average of 27 points while going 12-0 in showing its dominance over the conference.

Imagine if you had that kind of dominance over teams just willy-nilly. Even Gonzaga is owed a reprieve every now and then, the Zags are coming off an 81-69 win over the Santa Clara Broncos, by far the lowest margin of victory they’ve seen in a good number of weeks.

Drew Timme had 23 points and continues to look like such a good player. I mean, we already knew that he was very good. It’s not easy to find guys that can bang inside while putting together an outside game that makes teams wish they had seven players on defense instead of five.

When your offense can have three guys combine for at least 18 points and still win the game by shooting 40 percent from the floor, you know you’re probably going to be winning a lot of games this time of year. You know what also helps is turning the ball over just seven times with Andrew Nembhard committing three of them, but he can rebound with a 21-point performance with five made 3-pointers.

You’re not going to tell me that this group isn’t just the odds-on favorite to win the national championship right now. They’re probably the deepest team in the country, and in the frontcourt, it’s hard to look at Timme and Chet Holmgren and think there are many frontcourts to challenge them. Maybe the Duke Blue Devils might be the only one. It’ll be great to get them out of conference play, however. That’s when we’ll see for sure what they’re all about.

There was once a time when the San Francisco Dons were going to challenge Gonzaga for the top spot in the WCC, but the field has gotten so crowded at the top that we almost tend to forget about them. And by crowded field, I mean Saint Mary’s and Gonzaga with a few 20-win teams sprinkled in there.

But this is the game that will determine USF’s season. Not the conference tournament, not the next few games coming up. This game, right here, at home against the nation’s top team, is going to define the season. Can the Dons either win this game, or at least lose by single digits?

This effort will go a long way in determining if the Dons can make the NCAA Tournament, which would make the WCC at least a three-bid league. San Francisco hasn’t had good luck in conference play, going just 9-6, but those 22 wins are certainly a lock to make the committee think different of you.

USF is coming off a 104-71 win over Pacific on Monday in dominant fashion. Forget just the 104 points; it’s the fact they doubled up the Tigers at halftime, and then followed that with 56 points in the second half. Khalil Shabazz finished with a team-high 21 points on 6 of 7 shooting, and Jamaree Bouyea also had 15 points and 11 assists.

There’s no doubt that San Francisco has the talent to make things exciting against Gonzaga. The problem is it might not be enough. We’re looking at a team that can absolutely put up points with the best of them, even though it hasn’t primarily shown in the conference record, but they need to play a stellar defensive game in order to give themselves a chance. The Dons will bring a new dawn if they can win this one.

The under has been a major play for Gonzaga over the past few games, but that’s been in large part to the Bulldogs’ defensive effort. The under has cashed in the past five, as well as the past five following an outright win AND as a favorite. It’s just been one of those types of runs. You can fully expect Gonzaga to dominate offensively, but can the Dons do the same thing? San Francisco finds itself as 1-9 against the spread in the last 10 following an outright win of at least 20 points. Something’s got to give here, and I think it remains the status quo. Gonzaga by 16

Gonzaga is 47-37 ATS in all its games the past three seasons.

Gonzaga is 10-3 ATS this season off a home win by 10 points or more.

Gonzaga is 10-22 after three straight games forcing 11 turnovers or less.

San Francisco is 2-8 ATS after leading the last game at halftime by 15 points or more.

PG: Rasir Bolton

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

PG: Khalil Shabazz

SG: Jamaree Bouyea

SF: Gave Stefanini

PF: Patrick Tape

C: Yauhen Massalski

Points: Drew Timme -- 18.0

Rebounds: Chet Holmgren -- 9.6

Assists: Andrew Nembhard -- 5.7

Points: Jamaree Bouyea -- 17.2

Rebounds: Yauhen Massalski -- 9.5

Assists: Jamaree Bouyea -- 4.0