Georgia vs. Gonzaga: Picks, Predictions and Odds

Games between No. 8 and No. 9 seeds in the Big Dance almost always offer plenty of intrigue, and a Thursday afternoon showdown between the Gonzaga Bulldogs and Georgia Bulldogs is no exception.

It could be one of the most entertaining affairs of the entire first round, featuring a traditional college powerhouse in Gonzaga and a formidable foe from the SEC – which may be the best conference in the history of the sport in 2024/25.

Read below to see our experts’ predictions for this matchup.

Georgia vs. Gonzaga betting picks and predictions

Georgia +6.5 (-110)

Gonzaga and Georgia are taking their talents to Wichita, Kansas as the men’s tournament gets underway on Thursday.

The winner is likely on course for a second-round date with the top-seeded Houston Cougars in the Midwest Region, but neither side will be looking ahead. Even Gonzaga – despite being a sizable 6.5 favorite – will be on red alert.

An 8-10 conference record does not always punch an at-large ticket to the tournament, but there is no shame in being two games under .500 for Georgia in this current iteration of the SEC.

In fact, it’s downright impressive. It is also important to note that Georgia is playing its best basketball of the season right now.

The Bulldogs ended the regular-season on a four-game winning streak to secure its spot in the field of 68, with three of them coming over fellow tournament teams – including against West Region No. 1 seed Florida. UGA lost its opening game of the SEC Tournament to Oklahoma, but that’s not a terrible result – the Sooners are also a No. 9 seed in the dance.

Although this Gonzaga program always commands respect, it does not look like a national title contender as it has in years past.

The Zags did well to win another West Coast Conference Tournament title, but four regular-season losses in the WCC are far more than usual.

Their non-conference performance was not particularly impressive, either. They beat an Indiana team that ended up not making the tournament to go along with losses at the hands of West Virginia (also did not make the tournament, albeit controversially), Kentucky, UConn and UCLA.

Georgia is led by freshman big man Asa Newell, a projected lottery pick in the NBA Draft, in addition to an experienced backcourt that is headlined by Silas Demary Jr.

Newell and Demary should at least keep the underdogs competitive in this first-round battle.

Under 151.5 points (-110)

An under bet correlates nicely with Georgia covering the spread, as head coach Mike White’s team does not want to get into a high-paced shootout with Gonzaga. The lower the score, the better chance UGA has of covering – if not even winning outright.

The Zags can score in bunches, but let’s not overlook the fact that their most recent outing against Saint Mary’s in the WCC Tournament final was a 58-51 decision.

A lot of their scoring barrages came against weak conference competition; they were held to 62 points by UCLA, 71 by UConn and 71 in regulation by West Virginia.

Graham Ike (17.1 ppg) is the only player averaging more than 13.2 ppg, so there is a chance the offense dries up if Ike goes cold.

Newell (15.3 ppg) and Demary (13.4 ppg) are the only Georgia players scoring in double-figures this season.

UGA is shooting a modest 33.5 percent from three-point range and 71.7 percent from the free-throw line. Georgia frequently got sped up by high-powered SEC opponents, but they will want to slow things down against Gonzaga and they will probably be able to do it.

If Georgia can prevent this encounter from turning into a track meet, Under 151.5 looks good.

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Georgia vs. Gonzaga odds

Georgia	+220 ML
Gonzaga	-270 ML
Spread	Gonzaga -6.5
Total	O/U 151.5

This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.