The No. 5 Gonzaga Bulldogs will take on the No. 12 McNeese State Cowboys in the First Round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament. This will be an Midwest Region matchup and will take place on Thursday from Salt Lake City.
Below we’ll preview both teams, including analysis and key stats while also providing our prediction.
Gonzaga Bulldogs
NET: 17
KenPom Overall: 15
KenPom O: 9
KenPom D: 46
Record: 25-7
Strength of Schedule:105
Conference: West Coast
Conference Record:14-2
Quad 1 Record: 3-6
Gonzaga is back as they look to reach their ninth consecutive Sweet Sixteen berth and seek out their first NCAA title. The Zags, led by forwards Graham Ike and Anton Watson, have the 10th-highest scoring offense in the nation. They put up 84.3 points per game and shoot 51.3% from the field. The Bulldogs went 1-1 against WCC rival Saint Mary’s during regular season play this year and grabbed a major non-conference win over Kentucky.
McNeese Cowboys
NET: 56
KenPom Overall: 60
KenPom O: 51
KenPom D: 84
Record: 30-3
Strength of Schedule: 337
Conference: Southland
Conference Record: 17-1
Quad 1 Record: 1-0
The McNeese State Cowboys are going dancing for the first time since 2002 after demolishing their conference tournament opponents as the top seed in the Big South. Led by guard Shahada Wells, the Cowboys were one of the country’s top three-point shooting teams this year, averaging 39.4% from the perimeter. McNeese State’s offense ranks in the top 50 at KenPom, and the Cowboys went 1-0 against Quad 1 opponents.
2024 March Madness: No. 12 McNeese vs. No. 5 Gonzaga odds
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Gonzaga -6, McNeese +6
Over/Under: 145.5
Moneyline: Gonzaga -278, McNeese +225
Prediction: Gonzaga
This is an interesting clash of styles as Gonzaga likes to up the tempo on offense while McNeese State likes to grind teams down and frustrate teams on defense. Ultimately, I think the Bulldogs are more battle tested for this matchup as McNeese has not faced an opponent of this caliber all season long.
