We’ve already seen UCLA ticket to the West Region’s bottom sweet 16.
Awaiting the Bruins is either Gonzaga or TCU, two teams that took very different paths to their clash in the second round on Sunday.
The Bulldogs had a relatively stress-free victory over the Grand Canyon on Friday.
At the same time, Horned Frog barely survived a first-round test from Arizona to earn final ownership.
Here’s how to bet on Sunday’s contest, which starts at 9:40 PM ET on TBS.
Are you betting on March Madness 2023?
Gonzaga vs. TCU odds
(via BetMGM)
- Gonzaga -4.5 (-110), Moneyline -190
- TCU +4.5 (-110), Moneyline +160
- O/U 153.5 (less than -115)
Gonzaga vs. TCU Predictions and Analysis
(9:40 p.m. ET. TBS)
Horned Frogs did everything it took to escape a first-round tilt against Arizona State. Arizona State University is a team that barely made a 68-man field.
That effort alone won’t be enough to beat Gonzaga on Sunday.
Now we definitely know the story of TCU’s season. The team started the year with his 13-1 record, with a big win over Baylor in early January.
Two weeks later, the Horned Frogs blew Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse and looked like a legitimate contender to win it all.
After that, the casualties piled up. Leading scorer Mike Miles (17.6 PPG) and starting center Eddie Lumpkin (5.9 RPG) were in and out of the lineup during his four-game losing streak for the team in mid-February, but Miles returned later in the month. bottom. , since then he does not look the same.
This is a TCU issue, and they obviously aren’t fully into the second round.
Lumpkin is not back and Miles has only shot more than 50% from the field once in eight games as he returns from a right knee injury, Friday’s 72-70 victory over Arizona State. He only injured his right foot in the first half of the season. .
Gonzaga, on the other hand, looks like a well-oiled machine after thrashing the Grand Canyon in the first round.
This rivals the courses in this group, which owns the second-highest scoring differential (14.5) and second-longest winning streak (10 games) in the country, and ranks as the #1 team in the country in those 10 games. is what you do. T rank.
The Bulldogs offense ranks first in adjustment efficiency for the fourth time in five years.
Drew Timme (20.9 PPG) is the main reason, but future pro Julian Strawther (15.5) bursts in as the second scorer and floor spacer.
Will Gonzaga’s defense hold up?
Zag ranks 75th in defensive efficiency, but he’s had his shining moments this year. In the WCC tournament final St. He held Marys to their worst offensive efficiency of the season (81.8) and did the same to Baylor (85.8) in one out.・Points were deducted in early December.
It bodes well for Sunday’s matchup against a TCU team that has lost 11 of their last 20 games.
Yes, injuries were a factor, but they could have an impact on Sunday’s contest as well.
