In a Sweet 16 NCAA Tournament game, the 3-seed Gonzaga Bulldogs will face off with the 2-seed UCLA Bruins in the West Region. Let’s take a look at the top college basketball betting odds, March Madness expert picks, betting trends and KenPom Rankings, then share our official Gonzaga vs UCLA prediction for the regional semifinal matchup.
Gonzaga vs UCLA Prediction and March Madness Expert Picks
2023 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16
No. 3 Gonzaga Bulldogs (30-5) vs. No. 2 UCLA Bruins (31-5)
Date: Thursday, March 23, 2023
Time: 9:45 PM EST
Venue: T-Mobile Arena — Las Vegas, NV
Coverage: CBS
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Gonzaga vs UCLA March Madness Betting Odds
All college basketball betting odds for Gonzaga vs UCLA can be found at BetUS Sportsbook.
Moneyline: GON: (N/A) | UCLA: (N/A)
Point Spread: GON: +1.5 (-110) | UCLA: -1.5 (-110)
Total: 145.5 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)
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KenPom Rankings | Bracketology
KenPom Rankings are from KenPom.com
| Team | Overall AdjEM (Rk) | AdjO (Rk) | AdjD (Rk) | AdjT (Rk) |
| Gonzaga | +23.92 (7) | 123.5 (1) | 99.6 (75) | 70.2 (40) |
| UCLA | +27.70 (3) | 115.5 (21) | 87.8 (2) | 66.1 (244) |
Gonzaga vs UCLA College Basketball Betting Trends
- Bulldogs are 0-7 ATS in their last seven NCAA Tournament games.
- Nine of the Bulldogs’ last 12 games overall have gone OVER the total.
- Bulldogs are 13-0 straight up in their last 13 games against Pac-12 opponents.
- Bruins are 5-1-1 ATS in their last seven games overall.
- The OVER is 6-1 in the Bruins’ last seven games against teams with a winning percentage above .600.
- Bruins are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games against WCC opponents.
Gonzaga vs UCLA Prediction | March Madness Expert Picks and Bracketology
The contrast in styles between these two teams is what stands out most when handicapping this matchup. Gonzaga has been the best offensive team in all of college basketball this season, both in terms of true scoring offense and KenPom’s adjusted efficiency metrics. On the flip side, UCLA’s team defense is simply a thing of beauty and its greatest strength.
In Thursday’s Sweet 16 showdown in Las Vegas, something will have to give. It’s also impossible to tell which team will have the larger fanbase in attendance at T-Mobile Arena. While Sin City is only a few hours’ drive from Los Angeles, it has also been nicknamed “Kennel South” given how well Bulldogs fans travel to support their team in the WCC Tournament.
Despite the Under hitting in many of last weekend’s NCAA Tournament games, there is good reason to believe that the opposite may play out in this regional semifinal. First off, Gonzaga is hardly a standout defensive team. Grand Canyon and TCU were able to score 70 and 81 points, respectively against the Zags last weekend.
UCLA tends to play at a slower pace but is also a very efficient team at the offensive end. In their Second Round matchup, the Bruins put up 68 points against a very sound Northwestern defense. It may not always be pretty, but Jaime Jacquez Jr. and Tyger Campbell are veterans and more than capable of dissecting the mediocre Gonzaga defense. Amari Bailey has also stepped up huge for UCLA at the offensive end of late and will be one to watch on Thursday.
Meanwhile, one also has to believe that the Bulldogs will get their points as well. With UCLA losing Jaylen Clark to injury, Drew Timme has one less quality defender to worry about down low. Julian Strawther is also more than capable of getting his own shot from anywhere on the floor.
Our official college basketball betting Gonzaga vs UCLA prediction will be OVER 145.5 at BetUS.
For what it’s worth, the ESPN Matchup Predictor gives UCLA a 65.2% chance to win.
Bet: OVER 145.5 (-110 at BetUS Sportsbook)
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