The Gonzaga Bulldogs are on a mission. This has been one of the most successful programs in college basketball over the last two decades, but they are still looking for their first national championship. Gonzaga came close in 2017, making it to the national championship game where the Bulldogs fell to North Carolina, but this year’s team represents the school’s best chance yet. The Bulldogs have been the No. 1 team in the nation all year, and they are heavy favorites over the Creighton Bluejays in their Sweet Sixteen showdown.
Tip-off is scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET on March 28, 2021, and the game will be broadcast on CBS.
College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
Gonzaga Bulldogs -13
Creighton Bluejays +13
Total 158
How They Got Here
Gonzaga might become the first unbeaten team to win the national championship since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers. The Bulldogs have defeated all comers this season, winning 27 of their 28 games by double digits. They beat Kansas, Auburn, and West Virginia in the span of a week to start the season and also took down Iowa and Virginia in non-conference play. They cruised to another WCC title and hammered both Norfolk State and Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament.
Creighton went 18-7 and 14-6 in Big East play during the regular season. The Bluejays proved they can take down some good teams, but they were somewhat inconsistent. They lost to Georgetown twice and also fell to Marquette, Providence, and Butler. Creighton only snuck by UC Santa Barbara by a single point in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but the Bluejays used an early run to put away Ohio to get to this point.
Game Preview
The Bulldogs are the most well-rounded team in the country with a truly elite starting five. There isn’t much depth off the bench, but there doesn’t need to be with how talented their five starters are this season.
Corey Kispert was named WCC Player of the Year after leading Gonzaga with 19.2 PPG. Kispert is the best three-point shooter on the team (45.8 percent), and he is making 54.5 percent of his field goals.
Drew Timme is averaging 18.8 PPG and 7.3 RPG. He was dominant against Oklahoma with 30 points and 13 rebounds against the Sooners, and he is knocking down 65.5 percent of his field goals.
Gonzaga’s guard play is superb too. Jalen Suggs and Joel Ayayi are both potential first-round picks in this summer’s NBA Draft, as Suggs is averaging 14.1 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 4.3 APG, while Ayayi is averaging 11.9 PPG and 7.1 RPG and hitting 39.5 percent of his threes. Florida transfer Andrew Nembhard is often overlooked, but he has had a nice season too.
Their play has made Gonzaga the most efficient offense in the country. Gonzaga ranks first in effective field goal percentage, and the Bulldogs are making a dizzying 63.6 percent of their two-point field goals. There isn’t a more potent offense in the country, and Creighton will be hard-pressed to stop them.
The Bluejays are pretty efficient on offense. They rank 14th in effective field goal percentage with a strong inside game and a very good perimeter game. Marcus Zegarowski leads the way and is making 42.1 percent of his threes, but Creighton does not have a lot of size. None of their starters are taller than 6’7, and that has led to this team struggling on the glass.
Additionally, Creighton does not do a good job of getting to the free throw line or making its free throws. The Bluejays rank outside of the top 300 in both categories, and that’s curious considering this is a guard-heavy team.
Prediction
This is a total mismatch. Creighton does not match up well with Gonzaga at all, so expect the Bulldogs to cruise to the Elite Eight. They are already sizeable favorites to win the West Region, and it’s hard to see the Zags falling before the Final Four.
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