Pepperdine Waves vs Gonzaga Bulldogs Prediction, 1/14/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Pepperdine Waves vs Gonzaga Bulldogs

Date: Thursday, January 14, 2021

Location: McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, WA

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Pepperdine (+27)

McCarthey Athletic Center is the site where and the Gonzaga Bulldogs (12-0) will take on the Pepperdine Waves (4-5) on Thursday. The spread on this game has Gonzaga as 27-point favorites. The total opens at 165.

Pepperdine comes into this game with a win-loss mark of 4-5 on the season. The Waves are shooting 29.9% on shots from 3-point land (61 of 204) and 81.4% from the charity stripe. They currently have an average of 77.9 points per outing (80th in the country) while shooting 47.1% from the field. They lose possession via turnover 13.7 times per contest and as a unit are committing 19.0 fouls per game. As a unit, Pepperdine is pulling down 34.4 boards per game and has 158 assists this season, which ranks 100th in the country in terms of passing. On the defensive end, the Waves are able to force 13.3 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.7 personal fouls. They are ranked 187th in college basketball in giving up assists with 129 conceded so far this year. The Waves defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 42.5% (239 of 563) and they relinquish 36.4 boards per contest as a group. They are relinquishing 26.9% on 3-pointers and they are ranked 254th in Division 1 in points per game from their opponents (73.6).

The Pepperdine Waves stepped onto the hardwood against the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners and ended up losing by a score of 79-51 in their last game. Pepperdine wrapped up the game having earned a 33.3% FG percentage (15 of 45) and knocked down 4 of their 18 3-pointers. From the free throw line, the Waves made 17 of 28 tries for a rate of 60.7%. With respect to grabbing rebounds, they collected 21 with 7 of them being of the offensive variety. They also dished out 11 dimes in the matchup while getting 6 steals and 6 blocked shots. Regarding defense, Pepperdine allowed their opponent to shoot 33.3% from the floor on 15 out of 45 shooting. CSU Bakersfield recorded 16 assists and had 6 steals in the matchup. On top of that, the Roadrunners grabbed 42 rebounds (17 offensive, 25 defensive) and had 6 blocked shots. CSU Bakersfield finished 62.5% at the free throw line by burying 5 of 8 shots. They made 6 out of their 15 attempts from beyond the arc.

Sedrick Altman is a guy who played a role in the game. He ended up walking away with 11 points on 5 of 8 shooting. He saw the court for 30 mins and also grabbed 5 rebounds. Altman finished shooting 62.5% from the floor and also totaled 2 assists. An additional guy that was a factor in this contest for the Waves was Colbey Ross. He snagged 3 rebounds and accounted for 4 dimes. He shot 28.6% from the field for this game via 2-of-7 (10 points). In all, Ross was on the hardwood for 37 minutes.

Gonzaga has a win-loss record of 12-0 this year. In terms of offensive execution, the Bulldogs are shooting 55.6% from the floor, which is 12th in the country. Gonzaga has 1,153 points for the year (96.1 per game) and they pull down 39.4 rebounds per contest. They are assisting teammates 21.3 times per contest (2nd in Division 1) and they turn it over 11.3 times per game. The Bulldogs commit 17.0 personal fouls every game and they shoot 71.8% from the free throw line. The Bulldogs on defense are ranked 247th in the country in points per game surrendered with 73.4. The Gonzaga defense gives up 34.5% on 3-point attempts (91 of 264) and their opponents are converting on 73.2% of their shots from the free throw line. They have surrendered 12.3 dimes and 30.5 total rebounds per game, which is ranked 138th and 29th in those categories. They have forced 15.8 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 42.7% from the field (164th in college hoops).

When they last stepped on the court, the Gonzaga Bulldogs walked away with a victory by a final of 116-88 when they faced the Portland Pilots. The Bulldogs pulled down 28 defensive rebounds and 13 offensive rebounds totaling 41 for the game. They also rejected 5 tries while recording 5 steals in the game. The Pilots earned 23 fouls for this game which took the Bulldogs to the charity stripe for 30 attempts. They were able to make 24 of those for a percentage of 80.0%. When discussing 3-point shots, Gonzaga made 4 of 17 tries (23.5%). When this game wrapped up, the Bulldogs finished shooting 44 out of 70 from the floor which gave them a rate of 62.9%. The Bulldogs permitted the Pilots to make 28 of their 67 attempts from the field which left them shooting 41.8% for the contest. They shot 48.1% from 3-point land by going 13 of 27 and finished the contest at 19 out of 22 at the charity stripe (86.4%). In reference to rebounding, Gonzaga permitted Portland to grab 25 in total (10 on the offensive glass).

Drew Timme was important for the Bulldogs for this game. He converted 10 of 14 for the matchup for a rate of 71.4%, which got him 26 points. Timme totaled 7 rebounds in his 27 mins played and accumulated 2 dimes in the matchup. An additional guy that was important for Gonzaga was Anton Watson. He notched 23 points in 24 minutes on the hardwood via 8 out of 9 shooting for this contest. Watson finished going 88.9% from the field as well as earning 2 dimes and 3 total rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Gonzaga (-27)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here