Gonzaga vs Kansas Picks & Predictions (March 23)

• The #5 Gonzaga Bulldogs and #4 Kansas Jayhawks meet in the round of 32 on Saturday
• Gonzaga has reached eight consecutive Sweet 16s
• See below for Gonzaga vs Kansas odds, picks, and predictions

Two perennial college basketball powers battle in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Saturday, March 23. Both  the #5 Gonzaga Bulldogs (26-7 SU, 16-16 ATS) and #4 Kansas Jayhawks (23-10 SU, 13-19-1 ATS) won their first-round matchups, but they did it in much different ways. Gonzaga cruised to a 21-point victory over #12 McNeese State, while Kansas escaped a late scare against #13 Samford.

The winner of this game will make it to the Sweet 16 in this year’s March Madness bracket. Kansas is looking to get back to the second weekend of the tournament after losing to the No. 8 seed Arkansas in the round of 32 last year. Gonzaga is looking to make their ninth consecutive Sweet 16.

Gonzaga vs Kansas Odds

Despite being the #5 seed, the college basketball odds list Gonzaga as the favorite over Kansas. The Bulldogs are currently -4.5 against the Jayhawks and are -192 on the moneyline. With those odds, sportsbooks give Gonzaga a 65.52% implied win probability. The spread opened at Gonzaga -3.5 and has moved a point to get to 4.5. The total is sitting at 151.5 and has not moved since the odds were released on Thursday night.

Gonzaga now has the fourth-best Final Four odds in the Midwest region at +750. Kansas has the next best odds to win the region at +1400.

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Odds as of March 22 at Fanatics. Claim the Fanatics Sportsbook promo code to bet on Gonzaga vs Kansas this weekend. 

Gonzaga Betting Trends

After what many called a down year for Gonzaga, the Bulldogs find themselves in the round of 32 yet again. Gonzaga reached the WCC Conference Tournament Championship but lost to Saint Marys (69-60). The Bulldogs were 25-7 heading into the NCAA Tournament and covered the spread in half of their games, including four of their last five.

The Zags obliterated the 6-point spread against McNeese, covering by 15 points.

The Bulldogs have a balanced offensive attack with four of players averaging over 12 points per game. Forward Graham Ike leads the bunch with 16.5 points per game. Anton Watson leads the team in rebounds with 7.3 per game, and he scores over 14 points a game himself.

Gonzaga is ranked 12th overall at KenPom and eighth in adjusted offensive efficiency. They focus on getting good shots, not turning the ball over, and grabbing rebounds. This has led to them averaging 83.7 points per game.

Kansas Betting Trends

When they put it together and are healthy, Kansas can play with any team in the country, as evidenced by a 69-65 home win over UConn back in December.

Unfortunately, the Jayhawks were not healthy to end the season. They saw an early exit in the Big 12 Tournament and, even after getting Hunter Dickinson back, only beat No. 13 Samford by four as 7.5-point chalk.

Bill Self’s team is still without leading scorer Kevin McCullar Jr (18.3 PPG), who will miss the entire tournament. With Kansas’s injuries, the Jayhawks have been playing a top-heavy rotation. Four of their five starters played at least 35 minutes in their first-round game with Samford.

Despite winning 23 games, the Jayhawks went just 13-19-1 against the spread this season. They also went 2-4 against the spread when they were an underdog like they are in this matchup.

Kansas ranks just 24th overall KenPom and is led by a stout defense (13th in adjusted defensive efficiency). Hunter Dickinson, who averages 11.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game, has been a huge reason why, and he will need to dominate the post once again if the Jayhawks want to get back to the Sweet 16. Dickinson, a Michigan transfer two seasons ago, has not been to the Sweet 16 since 2022.

Gonzaga vs Kansas Prediction

These teams are trending in polar opposite directions. Gonzaga is hot and did not have to break a sweat in its first-round matchup, while Kansas was a controversial block call away from possibly heading home.

Just an unbelievable, LeBron-esque chase down block by Samford’s AJ Staton-McCray. Did not like the foul call here, this appeared to be all ball. #NCAAMarchMadness pic.twitter.com/W8pXHONTeg

— Gene Steratore (@GeneSteratore) March 22, 2024

The Bulldogs will have fresher legs in this game which should not be overlooked. With McCullar out, Gonzaga has the deeper and more talented rotation and will still be able to score against Kansas’s tough defense.

Both of these teams are well coached, but Mark Few and Gonzaga will find a way to get to the Sweet 16 for the ninth consecutive tournament. The Bulldogs pull away in the second half and win comfortably.

Gonzaga vs Kansas pick: Gonzaga -4.5 (-105)