Pepperdine Waves vs Gonzaga Bulldogs Prediction, 1/21/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Pepperdine Waves vs Gonzaga Bulldogs

Date: Wednesday, January 21, 2026

Location: McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane, WA

TV: ESPN+

The Gonzaga Bulldogs (19-1) will take on the Pepperdine Waves (6-14) at McCarthey Athletic Center on Wednesday.

The Pepperdine Waves took the court against Portland and went home with a win by a final score of 67-63 in their last contest. Pepperdine wrapped up the game having earned a 45.3% FG percentage (24 out of 53) and made 7 out of their 23 shots from beyond the arc. From the charity stripe, the Waves converted 12 of their 20 attempts for a percentage of 60.0%. When it comes to rebounding, they earned a total of 34 with 9 of them being offensive. They also doled out 9 assists for the matchup while forcing the opposition into 12 turnovers and getting 9 steals. In regard to defense, Pepperdine allowed 37.9% from the floor on 25 of 66 shooting. Portland doled out 18 dimes and had 7 steals for the game. Moreover, Portland collected 37 rebounds (13 offensive, 24 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Portland finished the game at 66.7% when shooting free throws by converting 6 of their 9 attempts. They made 7 of 33 shots from long range. With respect to personal fouls, the Waves ended up with 13 while Portland recorded 19 personal fouls.

Styles Phipps is one guy who was a factor for this game. He finished the contest at 33.3% from the field and distributed 3 assists. He played for 36 minutes and also snagged 9 boards. He racked up 18 points on 4 out of 12 shooting.

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Pepperdine comes into this game with a win-loss record of 6-14 this season. They average 69.6 pts per game (323rd in college) while hitting 42.3% from the floor. The Waves are hitting 29.3% on shots from 3-point land (132 of 451) and 75.8% from the charity stripe. As a team, Pepperdine is grabbing 33.9 boards per game and has accumulated 275 dimes for the season, which ranks 139th in the nation in terms of passing the rock. They are giving up possession 13.1 times per contest and as a team are committing 14.5 fouls per contest.

On defense, the Waves are forcing their opponents into 11.8 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.4 fouls. They are 325th in college in giving up assists to their opponents with 299 relinquished on the campaign. The Waves defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 45.6% (553 of 1,213) and they concede 34.7 rebounds per game as a unit. They surrender 33.9% on 3-pointers while they are 233rd in the country in points per game from their opponents (75.5).

In their last game, the Gonzaga Bulldogs got the victory with a final of 71-50 against Seattle. The Bulldogs were able to pull down 27 defensive rebounds and 12 offensive boards totaling 39 for the matchup. They gave up possession of the ball 14 times, while recording 14 steals in this matchup. Seattle was called for 13 personal fouls for the game which got the Bulldogs to the charity stripe for a total of 13 shots. They were able to bury 9 of them for a rate of 69.2%. In regard to shooting from distance, Gonzaga converted 6 out of their 18 tries (33.3%). When the game finished, the Bulldogs finished shooting 28 out of 60 from the field which had them at 46.7%. The Bulldogs allowed Seattle to knock down 19 of 53 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 35.8% for the game. They wrapped up this game 23.8% from beyond the perimeter by going 5 of 21 and finished the contest at 7 of 11 at the free throw line (63.6%). In regard to cleaning up the glass, Gonzaga allowed Seattle to collect 23 overall (6 on the offensive glass).

Mario Saint-Supery ended up being important for the Bulldogs in the game. He earned 20 points in his 24 mins on the court and added 4 assists in the matchup. He converted 7 out of 10 in this game giving him a field goal percentage of 70.0%, and added 1 rebound.

Gonzaga has a mark of 19-1 on the campaign. In terms of offensive execution, the Bulldogs are hitting on 52.2% from the floor, which has them ranked 3rd in Division 1. Gonzaga has 1,803 pts on the year (90.2 per game) and they grab 43.0 boards per contest. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 19.4 times per contest (8th in the nation) and they turn it over 10.7 times per contest. The Bulldogs are committing 17.9 fouls per game and they go 70.0% from the charity stripe.

The Gonzaga defense allows 29.6% on shots from distance (157 of 530) and their opponents are making 67.5% of their shots from the free throw line. They allow 12.3 assists and 31.6 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks 91st and 46th in college. The Bulldogs on defense are ranked 32nd in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 66.9. They are forcing 15.0 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 39.0% from the field (16th in college).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Gonzaga

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