Bulldogs, Cougars Prepare For WCC Showdown

College Basketball Betting

Even with the NHL trade deadline 2012 right around the corner, a lot of sports betting players are turning their attentions to the NCAA basketball season, and in the West Coast Conference on Thursday, there is a huge matchup brewing as Gonzaga hosts Brigham Young. Both teams are a game behind Saint Mary’s in the WCC, and a loss will knock one out of the race for the regular-season title.

BYU Gonzaga Odds – Thursday, 11:00 PM ET

The Cougars (23-6, 11-3 WCC) have now won five in a row after an 82-67 victory at Santa Clara, and a sportsbook review of the game would point towards a big second half in which the Cougars pulled away with a 12-point edge. Noah Hartsock notched 21 points and five boards, while Brandon Davies added 20 points for the Cougars, who shot 58.5% from the field and 2012 March Madness betting players will tell you that it’s tough to beat a team when they’re hitting almost 60% of their field-goal attempts. BYU isn’t the juggernaut that they were last year with Jimmer Fredette leading the way, but they’re starting to roll at exactly the right time and that could mean problems for the rest of the teams in the WWC Tournament.

For example, Gonzaga (21-5, 11-3 WCC), who had their winning streak halted at four games after a 66-65 loss at San Francisco, falling on a basket with 3.3 seconds to play. Elias Harris put up a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Gary Bell chipped in with 16 points for the Bulldogs, who shot 51.1% from the field and outrebounded San Francisco 31-21, but they also had 21 turnovers and that is players that work with pay head systems know that is a quick way to put a mark in the “L” column. The Bulldogs will still earn a few looks when it comes to the Tournament, but they can’t afford to turn the ball over like they did in San Francisco.

The Bulldogs should be the favorites at home, but they’ve lost their last two meetings with the Cougars, an 89-67 romp in last year’s NCAA Tournament, and then an 83-73 victory at BYU on February 2^nd, which kicked off the Cougars’ current streak. Hartsock had 24 points and 14 boards, while Gonzaga had 19 turnovers, but if they can take care of the ball they can come away with this win. They’ve lost just once at home and that was to Michigan State in December, so it’ll be tough for BYU to stroll into Spokane and sweep the regular-season series with the Bulldogs. Take Gonzaga to claim a big college basketball betting win on Thursday night.