West Virginia vs Gonzaga Prediction College Basketball Picks 11/27/24

The West Virginia Mountaineers are visiting the Gonzaga Bulldogs on Wednesday, November 27th at the Imperial Arena. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a West Virginia Mountaineers vs Gonzaga Bulldogs Prediction.

Gonzaga Bulldogs Preview

The Gonzaga Bulldogs have a perfect 5-0 record this season and are coming off an 84-41 win over Long Beach State. The Bulldogs are 4-1 against the spread, and 3-2 in over/under, while having a 3-0 home record. 

Offensively, Gonzaga is averaging 93.2 points per game, which is the 8th-best in the nation. Defensively, they allow 61 points per game (26th). The Bulldogs shoot 50.2% from the field (40th) and 36.3% from beyond the arc (110th). The Bulldogs shoot 77.8% from the free-throw line (35th) and are grabbing 42.6 rebounds per game (32nd).

Graham Ike leads Gonzaga in scoring with an average of 14.6 points and a team-high 6.2 rebounds, while Khalif Battle adds 14.4 points and 4.4 rebounds.

West Virginia Mountaineers Preview

The West Virginia Mountaineers have a 3-1 record this season and are coming off an 86-43 win over Iona. The Mountaineers are 2-2 against the spread, and 1-2-1 in over/under, while they have a 0-1 road record. 

Offensively, West Virginia is averaging 77.5 points per game, which ranks 176th in the nation. Defensively, they allow 64.3 points per game (57th). The Mountaineers shoot 45.5% from the field (168th) and  36.8% from beyond the arc (91st). The Mountaineers shoot 70.7% from the free-throw line (179th) and are grabbing 36 rebounds per game (229th).

Javon Small leads West Virginia in scoring with an average of 15.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and a team-high 4 assists. Tucker DeVries adds 13.5 points and 4.8 rebounds. West Virginia will meet Georgetown, NC Central, Bethune-Cookman, and Mercyhurst after this one.

Why the Gonzaga Bulldogs will win

• Gonzaga has won each of its last 23 day games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
• West Virginia has lost 14 of its last 15 games against Top 10 AP-ranked opponents.
• Gonzaga has won the first half in each of its last nine games against non-AP-ranked opponents at a neutral venue.

Why the West Virginia Mountaineers will win

• West Virginia has won 19 of its last 22 day games against non-conference opponents.
• West Virginia has won the first half in four of its last five games.

Matchup/League Facts

• Gonzaga ranks 1st among Division 1 teams for turnovers per game this season (8.0).
• Gonzaga ranks 1st among Division 1 teams for assist-to-turnover ratio this season (2.38).
• West Virginia ranks 5th among Division 1 teams for blocks per game this season (7.0).
• West Virginia ranks 17th among Division 1 teams for opponent field goal percentage this season (36.3%).

West Virginia Mountaineers vs Gonzaga Bulldogs Prediction

Gonzaga has won all five previous meetings against West Virginia, going for 3-1-1 against the spread. In this West Virginia Mountaineers vs Gonzaga Bulldogs Prediction, Gonzaga is coming as -15.5 home favorites, and rightfully so. The Gonzaga are undefeated so far and are winning by an average of 32.2 points per game. The Bulldogs have the 8th-best offense and 26th-best defense while being in the top 40 of the nation in field goal percentage, free-throw percentage, and rebounding. West Virginia’s strength is their defense, which is top-60 in the nation, but they still allow 3.3 points more than Gonzaga. The value here lies with the home team, so pick the Gonzaga Bulldogs and lay the points at home.