The nation’s best team will continue their gauntlet of a schedule as the Gonzaga Bulldogs will take on the Iowa Hawkeyes in a matchup of two top-five teams on Saturday. The game will tip at noon from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, between the two undefeated teams.
Both teams boast tremendous big men as this game will replace the canceled Gonzaga vs. Baylor matchup that was lost to COVID concerns a couple of weeks ago. Luka Garza versus Drew Timme in the paint is the premier matchup of the weekend.
Gonzaga enters the game as a three-point favorite, and the total is set at 170.5 points.
Gonzaga Continues to Play Anyone
One of the common misconceptions of the Gonzaga program is that they are often over ranked because they dominate the West Coast Conference year in and year out. The fact is, Mark Few will play anyone, anywhere. The Bulldogs have already played top ten teams Kansas and West Virginia, and will now go up against the Hawkeyes. Anyone, at anytime, anyplace.
Drew Timme, Corey Kispert, and Jalen Suggs are arguably the best players at their position in all of college basketball. Still, two of them will be going up against players that are also in the conversation in this game. Timme was excellent in his first two games but struggled in game three against a frontcourt with tremendous size and talent in West Virginia.
One injury of note, sophomore Anton Watson, who had started each of Gonzaga’s first three games, is out for the season with a shoulder injury.
Gonzaga is 3-0 straight up as the favorite this season, and 2-1 against the spread as all of their games have come in neutral site locations this season. Their total has gone over in two of their three games this season.
Can you stop Luka Garza?
The simple answer here is, No. So far this season, Luka Garza has been the most unstoppable force in college basketball. The Hawkeye center has outscored Iowa opponents all by himself in the first half of games on multiple occasions.
While Gonzaga boasts what could be the best trio in college basketball, Iowa has something to say about that with Garza and wing forward Joe Wiescamp. Garza receives a lot of the pub averaging 29 points and nine rebounds per game, but Wiescamp is no slouch averaging 15 points and six rebounds per game while shooting 50% from behind the arc this season.
The most significant question mark for the Hawkeyes coming into the season was their defense, but they have improved after a season in which they were pathetic. If they can step it up on that end of the floor, they have a shot in this game.
The Hawkeyes are 5-1 against the spread this season and 6-0 straight up as the favorite. The total has gone over in each of their six games this season.
The Pick
Gonzaga may be the best team in the nation, but Iowa has the country’s best player. Luka Garza is capable of dominating a game from tip to horn and has shown it on many occasions so far. The fact that the Hawkeyes are so much better defensively than expected is something to be recognized.
CJ Frederick has to have a good game for Iowa to win, but I am not sure he is someone I want to entrust with my cold hard cash. Take Gonzaga to cover and take the under; someone has to play some defense.
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