The Georgia Bulldogs take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the NCAA Tournament. Tip-off is set for 4:35 p.m. ET on TBS.
Gonzaga is favored by 7 points on the spread with a moneyline of -320. The total is set at 151 points.
Here’s my Georgia vs. Gonzaga predictions and college basketball picks for March 20, 2025.
Georgia vs Gonzaga Prediction
My Pick: Gonzaga -7.5 or Better
My Georgia vs Gonzaga best bet is on the Bulldogs to cover the spread, with the best odds currently available at Caesars. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Georgia vs Gonzaga Odds, Lines
| Georgia Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+7 -110 | 151 -110o / -110u | +260 |
| Gonzaga Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-7 -110 | 151 -110o / -110u | -320 |
- Georgia vs Gonzaga spread: Gonzaga -7
- Georgia vs Gonzaga over/under: 151 points
- Georgia vs Gonzaga moneyline: Gonzaga -320, Georgia +260
- Georgia vs Gonzaga best bet: Gonzaga -7.5 or Better
My Georgia vs Gonzaga NCAAB Betting Preview
This game feels like the wish of every Gonzaga hater formulated over the Bulldogs' run of excellence in the 21st century.
"Oh if Gonzaga is so great, how many games would they win in the toughest conference in the country?"
Georgia is the embodiment of the average team in this season's incredibly deep and difficult SEC. The Bulldogs finished just under .500 in conference play. In 18 games this season against teams worthy of an at-large bid to this tournament, Georgia was just 6-12, with four of the wins coming at home in Athens.
The Georgia Bulldogs are exactly the kind of bar that people expect the Gonzaga Bulldogs to clear. Yes, the Zags aren't tested as often as their power conference counterparts, but they also have less opportunities to prove themselves.
Using the same standard, Gonzaga played just eight games against at-large quality teams, winning three of those, and just two of those eight came at home. That's how the Zags ended up as an eight-seed, despite being ranked as the ninth-best team in college basketball by KenPom's predictive metrics.
Gonzaga is absolutely under-seeded. That doesn't mean it's a shoo-in to win this game. Teams facing a similar issue in the past have fared well.
Over the last 10 seasons, just three top-10 KenPom teams have found themselves seeded eight or lower. All three of them won their first-round game, with 2021's Loyola Chicago Ramblers knocking off top-seed Illinois to advance to the Sweet 16.
The precedent is there, but this game will be played between the lines, not among the digits of KenPom's calculations.
On the court, Gonzaga will look to exploit two distinct advantages. The first comes via the turnover margin. The Zags are top-five in the country at protecting the ball, while Georgia struggles mightily in that area.
Georgia ranks 280th in turnover avoidance and in the bottom 15 nationally in allowing steals. Those are live ball turnovers that the high-tempo Zags will look to convert into transition buckets.
The second area of attack for the Zags is the offensive glass. Georgia ranks 280th nationally and 15th in the SEC at protecting defensive rebounds. Gonzaga is a solid, but not a standout offensive rebounding club, though I expect Mark Few to send extra bodies at the rim where Georgia is susceptible.
If Gonzaga wins the turnover battle and racks up offensive rebounds, it's likely that the Zags will have significantly more offensive possessions than Georgia.
If and when that happens, Gonzaga is set up for success.
I'm happy to bet money that the 13th-ranked offense in the SEC will score less points than the ninth-ranked offense in the nation if the latter has more chances to score.
Give me Mark Few and one of the most experienced teams in college basketball over Mike White and a team with a freshman leading scorer every chance I get.
Gonzaga hasn't failed to reach the Round of 32 since 2008, and I don't see that streak ending here.
