PORTLAND, Ore. – The Gonzaga Bulldogs, seeking to extend their remarkable NCAA Tournament streak, face a challenging first-round matchup against the Kennesaw State Owls on Thursday night at the Moda Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET.
Gonzaga (30-3), the No. 12 seed in the West Region, enters the tournament having secured both the West Coast Conference regular season and tournament titles in what was their final season in the conference. The Bulldogs are aiming for their 27th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. Kennesaw State (21-13), the No. 14 seed, earned its automatic bid by winning the Conference USA Tournament championship.
This marks the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Gonzaga is a significant 20.5-point favorite, according to BetMGM Sportsbook, with the over/under set at 152.5 points, a decrease from the opening line of 157.5.
The Bulldogs boast a potent offense, averaging 9.5 turnovers per game and achieving a 25-2 record when committing fewer turnovers than their opponents. Gonzaga’s shooting accuracy is notably high, converting 51.0% of their field goal attempts, 9.9 percentage points better than what Kennesaw State typically allows.
Kennesaw State, sixth in Conference USA with 14.1 assists per game, is led by RJ Johnson, who averages 3.9 assists. The Owls average 9.4 made three-pointers per game, 1.6 more than Gonzaga concedes on average.
Individually, Gonzaga relies heavily on Graham Ike, who averages 19.7 points and 8.2 rebounds. Tyon Grant-Foster has contributed 11.3 points over the last 10 games. For Kennesaw State, Johnson averages 14.4 points and 3.9 assists, while Frankquon Sherman adds 13.4 points and 8.6 rebounds over his last 10 appearances.
Recent form indicates Gonzaga has gone 8-2 in their last 10 games, averaging 78.1 points, while Kennesaw State has a 7-3 record over the same period, averaging 78.5 points. The SportsLine Projection Model forecasts the total score to exceed 152.5 points, predicting a combined total of 159 points with the Over hitting in 61.8% of simulations. The model also suggests one side of the spread will hit in over 50% of simulations, but that pick is exclusive to SportsLine subscribers.
Braden Huff is sidelined for Gonzaga with a knee injury.
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