The Gonzaga Bulldogs take on the Houston Cougars in the NCAA Tournament. Tip-off is set for 8:40 p.m. ET on TNT.
Houston is favored by 5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -220. The total is set at 141 points.
Here are my Gonzaga vs. Houston predictions and college basketball picks for March 22, 2025.
Gonzaga vs Houston Odds
| Gonzaga Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+5 -110 | 141 -110o / -110u | +180 |
| Houston Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-5 -110 | 141 -110o / -110u | -220 |
- Gonzaga vs Houston spread: Houston -5
- Gonzaga vs Houston over/under: 141 points
- Gonzaga vs Houston moneyline: Houston -220, Gonzaga +180
- Gonzaga vs Houston best bet: Gonzaga +5.5
My Gonzaga vs Houston best bet is on the Bulldogs to cover the spread, with the best odds currently available at BetMGM. For all of your college basketball bets, find the best lines using our live NCAAB odds page.
Gonzaga vs Houston NCAAB Betting Preview
Houston and Gonzaga each made their first-round matchups look like a tune-up for a hard-fought Round of 32 showdown.
The key to Gonzaga making an NCAA Tournament run is shooting. The Bulldogs were on a pretty awful shooting run before the Big Dance. All it took was the Big Dance arriving for the Zags to see a bigger basket. They shot 12-for-20 from deep in the 89-68 win over Georgia on Thursday.
Not often will you see a top-10 KenPom matchup in the Round of 32 — that speaks to the Zags being underseeded.
I know it's probably a fool's errand to bet against Houston, but even if the Coogs win, it's far from a sure thing that it'll be by more than two possessions.
Houston is one of the slowest-paced teams in the country. That leads to many low-scoring showdowns, and despite dominating most games, Houston rarely wins by large margins.
Although Houston shoots 3s at just a 34% rate, shooting is huge for its offense. Not only do the Cougars shoot 39% from deep, but they also grab offensive rebounds 34% of the time. Many of those rebounds come from missed 3s.
Guards LJ Cryer, Emanuel Sharp and Milos Uzan all shoot above 40% from downtown. Uzan is the most important because of his playmaking and defense on Gonzaga's Ryan Nembhard.
Houston got J'Wan Roberts back for the Round of 64 win over SIUE. He didn't need to play much since Houston was up double-digits in a blink. I'm curious how the heartbeat of the Cougars' roster plays in what promises to be a physical contest.
Gonzaga is good at everything Houston excels at. Forcing turnovers is Houston's DNA, but the Zags have had a 12% turnover rate since February 1.
I'm most encouraged about Gonzaga's defense. The Zags can thank their defense for winning 10 of their past 12 games.
Things changed for Mark Few's squad on January 19 — the day after the Zags dropped back-to-back games versus Oregon State and Santa Clara. They rank 10th in defensive efficiency over the past two months while holding teams to 29% shooting from 3 and 45% from 2.
Gonzaga can play a rock fight, which I wouldn't have been able to say a few months ago. To play a rock fight, the Zags have to rebound. They sit around the middle of the pack nationally in rebound rate, so they can't let Houston create many second chances.
Graham Ike won't have an easy scoring day on Houston's interior. He's the best scoring option on the Zags' roster, but his best skill in this matchup comes defensively and on the glass.
The Zags have to shoot it well from deep. I don't expect them to shoot over 60% from downtown again.
However, Battle and Hickman tend to be streaky. Battle is the one player on Gonzaga's roster who can create a shot to score. Houston can force players into iso looks, which makes Battle an essential piece.
I like the Zags here, as the spread is too many points.
I already have limited trust in the Cougars and love this Gonzaga roster. Nembhard is one of the top point guards in the county and rarely turns it over. He should be able to find shooters against Houston's hard-hedging ball-screen coverage and on-ball pressure.
Pick: Gonzaga +5.5
