The North Dakota Fighting Hawks (4-6) travel to No. 12 Gonzaga to play the Bulldogs (8-2) in a game that will likely be up-tempo. Action starts at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 16, 2017.
North Dakota Fighting Hawks vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs Free Preview
In the Fighting Hawks last contest, they were blown out by the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, 99-63. Dale Jones put together a solid game for North Dakota, leading the team in scoring with 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting. South Dakota State was effective at getting and making free throws. The Jackrabbits made 28 of their 35 free throws (80.0 percent), while the Fighting Hawks were just 10-18 (55.6 percent).
The Bulldogs come in on a high note after thoroughly outplaying the Washington Huskies in their last game, 97-70. Gonzaga received a boost from Johnathan Williams III, who was the games leading scorer with 23 points on 9-for-14 shooting. Gonzaga dominated every facet of the game. They had a fantastic offensive rebounding percentage of 38.2 (above their season average of 35.3) and a turnover percentage of 9.5 (better than their season average of 16.0). For those same stats, Washington had marks of 18.2 and 15.9, respectively.
The productive offense of Gonzaga (eighth in the nation with an offensive efficiency of 122.2) will battle against the porous defense of North Dakota (292nd in the NCAA with a defensive efficiency of 108.8). The Bulldogs figure to have the edge on that end of the court.
North Dakota Fighting Hawks at Gonzaga Bulldogs Betting Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – North Dakota, ATS Winner – North Dakota, O/U – Over
Betting Notes:
- The Bulldogs rank 43rd in steals allowed per game (5.3) while the Fighting Hawks rank 117th (6.4).
- North Dakota and Gonzaga average 2.8 blocks allowed per game, which ranks 46th in the NCAA.
- Gonzaga ranks 23rd in rebounds per game (40.8) while North Dakota ranks 244th in rebounds allowed per game (39.3).
- The Bulldogs rank 18th in assists per game (17.7) while the Fighting Hawks rank 196th (12.3).
- Gonzaga ranks 37th in three pointers attempted per game (26.4) while North Dakota ranks 136th (21.9).
Bettings Trends:
- The Bulldogs average margin of victory in their last five games has been 13.6, down from 16.7 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Fighting Hawks have scored an average of 73.4 points per game (2.3 below their season average) and allowed an average of 91.2 points per game (8.4 above their season average).
