The San Francisco Dons (23-9, 11-5 WCC) meet up with the Gonzaga Bulldogs (24-6, 14-2 WCC) in the WCC tournament semi-finals late Monday night in Vegas. While Gonzaga’s NCAA tournament streak looked to be in jeopardy following their home loss to Saint Mary’s in early February, the Zags caught fire and haven’t lost since.
Regardless of how they look for the first few months of the season, you can’t count them out in March until further notice. Meanwhile, San Francisco has had a very solid 23–24 campaign. They have established themselves as the clear 3rd best team in the WCC, although they did have a stinker at Santa Clara to end the season.
Will San Francisco keep their NCAA tournament hopes alive for another night, or will the Gonzaga Bulldogs roll into the WCC championship for the 27th straight year?
San Francisco Dons vs Gonzaga Bulldogs Betting Odds
|
Team |
Spread |
Total |
MoneyLine |
|
San Francisco |
+9
-108 |
O 149.5
-110 |
+350 |
|
Gonzaga |
-9
-112 |
U 149.5 -110 |
-455 |
|
**Odds Courtesy of DraftKings** |
|||
San Francisco Dons vs Gonzaga Bulldogs Game Details
- Fixture: San Francisco Dons vs Gonzaga Bulldogs
- Date and Time: March 11, 2024 @ 11:30pm EST
- Location: Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, NV
Apex Tale of the Tape
|
San Francisco Dons |
vs. |
Gonzaga Bulldogs |
|
23-9 |
Record |
24-6 |
|
78.1 |
Points Per Game |
85.6 |
|
48.9% |
FG% |
51.9% |
|
35% |
3PT% |
35% |
|
34 |
Rebounds Per Game |
39.6 |
|
66.1 |
Points Allowed Per Game |
68.7 |
|
43% |
Defensive FG% |
40.2% |
|
32.4% |
Defensive 3PT% |
33.1% |
|
70% |
Defensive FT% |
72.3% |
|
22.2 |
Defensive Rebounds Per Game |
21 |
|
2-3 |
Last 5 W-L |
5-0 |
Key Stats
San Francisco Dons
Without a doubt, the Dons are one of the most fun teams around. Firstly, they have some incredible guard play. They look to match the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Marcus Williams has been electric all season long and has explosive running mates in the backcourt in Malik Thomas and Freshman of the Year in the WCC, Ryan Beasley. Secondly, the Dons have WCC Newcomer of the Year in Missouri State transfer forward Jonathan Mogbo, giving them a presence down low.
However, an issue they run into is when the game slows down. This leads to opposing teams getting the ball in the post. Besides Mogbo, the Dons don’t get too much production down low, which leaves them susceptible to getting into foul trouble. Although they sometimes depend on a fast-paced game, they have the firepower to outscore just about anybody they play, including the Gonzaga Bulldogs.
Gonzaga Bulldogs
Evidently, the Bulldogs are peaking at the right time. The Gonzaga Bulldogs were all out of sorts for so much of this season. Basically, every game they played against a decent opponent, they lost. Furthermore, Mark Few and his group must have seen the colander getting closer to March and turned it on in the nick of time.
Due to Gonzaga’s pedigree in the NCAA tournament, there is absolutely nobody who wants to see them in their bracket. Guard Ryan Nembhard is an absolute killer, and forward Graham Ike is one of the best power forwards in the country. By the time the WCC tournament starts, the Gonzaga Bulldogs are usually playing their best ball, and it’s happening yet again this year.
Game Prediction
Seeing this game in person just 12 days ago makes me hesitant to think anything will change from then to now. The Gonzaga Bulldogs dominated the second half and won 86-68, backed by Graham Ike and Nolan Hickman who combined for 48 points. Ike gave Mogbo a lot of problems, and the Dons got completely outplayed across the board. USF went ice cold from three-point land in that lopsided second half.
But they were right with Gonzaga up to that point, and if they can stay out of foul trouble early and capitalize on good looks from deep, the Dons can hang around. However, there are a lot of things they need to go their way, and Gonzaga is the more complete team. Since the Zags never lose in this spot, it is impossible not to like them here. Nonetheless, I’m taking the Gonzaga Bulldogs to cover and advance to the WCC championship.
Final Pick
Gonzaga Bulldogs -9
About the Author
Follow Cory on x @cory_pappas1 for more college basketball game previews as March Madness begins! Check out all the great content Total Apex Sports has to offer. Check us out on X @TotalApexSports and our other sites: Total Apex Sports Bets and Total Apex Fantasy Sports.
