The Pacific Tigers will face off with the Gonzaga Bulldogs in a WCC conference battle.
This is the first matchup between these two teams this season. The two have faced off 22 times in their history, with Gonzaga winning every matchup to this point. The smallest margin of victory in these games has been nine points, which occurred in 2024.
Gonzaga is a 21.5-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook. Pacific is +1600 on the moneyline, and the game total is set at 143.5 points.
Pacific vs. Gonzaga prediction, preview
The Pacific Tigers are 17-12 record on the season and 8-8 in conference play. They enter this matchup coming off back-to-back losses against Saint Mary’s and Washington State, and are 5-4 in their last nine. On the season, Pacific is 14-13 against the spread, with its matchups against Life Pacific and Simpson University not offering odds, and the game total is 12-15 to the over/under in qualifying matchups.
Elias Ralph is the team’s leading scorer with averages of 16.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting 41% on three-point attempts. TJ Wainwright adds 13.7 points and 3.9 rebounds and shoots 39.9% on perimeter looks as the only other player averaging in double figures. Isaac Jack adds 9.3 points and 5.5 rebounds, while Justin Rochelin is posting averages of 9.1 points and 5.9 rebounds.
As a team, Pacific is averaging 74 points per game, which ranks 241st in the country. They rank 149th in offensive rating, 59th in field-goal percentage and 38th in three-point percentage. Opponents are scoring 68.8 points per game against the Tigers, which ranks 60th in the country. Pacific also ranks 92nd in defensive rating, 76th in opponent field-goal percentage and 195th in opponent three-point percentage.
The Gonzaga Bulldogs are 26-2 record this season, and have gone 14-1 in conference play. Their two losses have come against Michigan and Portland, but the Bulldogs enter this matchup on a four-game winning streak. On the season, Gonzaga is 16-12 against the spread, and the game total has remained under in 17 of its 28 games.
Graham Ike leads the team, and the conference, in scoring with 19.9 points per game, along with 8.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists. Braden Huff adds 17.8 points and 5.6 rebounds but is sidelined with a knee injury, while Grand Canyon transfer Tyon Grant-Foster is the lone other player to average in double figures with 11.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
Mark Few’s squad is scoring 87.4 points per game, which ranks 15th in the country. Gonzaga also ranks 18th in offensive rating, fourth in field goal percentage, 180th in three-point percentage, and pulls in the 17th-most rebounds per game. Gonzaga is holding opponents to the 27th-fewest points per game at 66.9 points on average. They also lead the country in defensive rating, rank 19th in field goal percentage, and 34th in three-point percentage allowed.
Pacific vs. Gonzaga pick, best bet
While they are graded on different scales, both of these teams should be satisfied with their start to the season. Pacific has already notched their most wins since the 2019-20 season, and is one win away from doubling its win total from last season. Gonzaga is ranked 11th in the country and looks like a team that can make some noise in the NCAA Tournament.
But the gap in talent between these two teams is even larger than the 21.5-point spread indicates. Gonzaga got its wake-up call in the loss to Portland, in which it entered as 22.5-point favorites. The Bulldogs are 4-0 against the spread since this point, winning the four matchups by 79 combined points. In contrast, Pacific is 2-4 both straight up and against the spread in its last six games.
Gonzaga is a dominant team on both sides of the ball, and it is tough to find any area where Pacific will have the edge. Expect the Bulldogs’ defense to be especially effective in slowing down the Pacific attack. These teams are constructed somewhat similarly in terms of style of play, but Gonzaga just has more talent across the board.
The final push for the college basketball season is on, and every matchup carries some additional weight. Gonzaga is plenty comfortable covering large numbers, with seven of 16 games they have covered coming on spreads of -19.5 or greater. They also have won 14 of their 26 games by 20 points or greater.
