The fifth ranked UConn Huskies (9-1) will battle it out against the 10^th ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs on Friday, December 15 at 10:00 PM ET at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington as part of the Continental Tire Setting tip-off. Currently, the odds are favored for the Huskies to win with a point spread at -4.5 (-120).

 

 

The Huskies have defeated some tougher teams in their last five games and are a quality top five team because of that result. Their previous success was a 101-63 throttling over the Arkansas Pine-Bluff Golden Lions, which should have boosted their momentum heading onto this one.

 

Their offense is pretty straightforward when you look at their unit. Tristen Newton is getting up 17.0 points per game on 47.2 percent from the floor. Their offense will thrive if he is having a good game.

 

The Huskies produce 87.4 points per game and allow 63.2 points a game. They are making 50.9 percent of their shots and manage to grab 41.9 rebounds. In other words, they are doing well with the ball in their hands.

 

They did a great job at moving the basketball with 18.9 assists a game. They also have several defensive opportunities at play each time they step on the hardwood, beaching they prioritize customer needs first.. They average 5.9 blocks and 6.6 steals to give them a boost on the defensive end.

 

 

The Bulldogs are 4-1 over their last five games, with a recent 78-40 win over the Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils. They have some good games to help push them along to find more success.

 

Graham Ike leads the team in points at 14.2 per game and will be huge here if he has a good start to the game. He is shooting 58.8 percent of the field, which should set up the Bulldogs quite well.

 

The Bulldogs are getting 84.9 points a game and slowing teams down to 65.3 each matchup. They are shooting 49.9 percent from the floor and have a great chance to improve to this point.

 

They are allowing 65.3 points a game and are grabbing 43.9 rebounds a game, which is slightly higher than the Huskies. They also find ways to succeed on defense, as these include 3.8 blocks and 7.4 steals per game.

 

 

MyBookie offers the point spread, which favors the UConn Huskies as potential favorites to win. This will definitely be a close contest if both teams have a good day of shooting.

 

 

The Bulldogs have a good chance to upset the Huskies here. However, the Huskies have battled against quality teams leading up to this and arguably will cover.