Gonzaga Bulldogs vs Arizona Wildcats: Predictions, Odds and Roster Notes

Where: McKale Center in Tucson, AZ

When: Saturday, December 14th at 10pm EST

How (TV): ESPN2

Gonzaga Bulldogs (Away)

Head Coach: Mark Few {Overall: 10-1 | Conference: 0-0, 1st in WCC}

The Gonzaga Bulldogs enter this game having gone through a preseason schedule that has given them road tests against power conference foes in Texas A&M and Washington.

Additionally, the Zags have had the opportunity to measure up against tough opponents in neutral-site tournaments, beating Oregon in the Battle 4 Atlantis before getting blown out by Michigan in the finals.

Led by a trio of overseas imports in Filip Petrusev, Joel Ayayi, and Killian Tillie, Gonzaga has been lighting up the scoreboard early and often this season.

The Bulldogs currently are averaging 85.9 points per game, which ranks fourth in the nation. Many of those points are coming off of quality looks, as they rank third nationally in assists as well as 15th in field goal percentage.

On the other end of the court, the Bulldogs have room for improvement as they are a middle of the pack team on defines, allowing 64.6 points per contest, while also allowing opponents to shoot 34.9% from three-point range.

With three games after this before conference play (one of which is a home game against North Carolina), coach Mark Few will have time to get his team’s defense in order.

Head Coach: Sean Miller{Overall: 10-1 | Conference: 0-0, 1st in Pac-12}

The Arizona Wildcats have clearly put last season’s disappointing season behind them, roaring to a 10-1 start, the lone blemish being a close 63-58 road loss to Baylor last Saturday.

With that game being their first against a ranked opponent, Arizona’s upcoming game will be a litmus test to help determine whether their record is a sign of things to come, or due to a light non-conference schedule.

With freshmen Zeke Nnaji, Nico Mannion, and Josh Green providing a solid collective scoring punch, the Wildcats have had no trouble getting buckets so far.

Coach Sean Miller’s squad has made shot selection a high priority, as they have limited their three-point attempts in favor of more efficient looks, resulting in a 51.2% field goal percentage, which ranks eighth in the nation.

This approach has led to them making visits to the free-throw line, where they rank third in the nation in attempts.

One key to victory for the Wildcats against the Zags will be how to limit second-chance points, as Arizona, is among the worst teams at coughing up offensive rebounds.

With Gonzaga having no shortage of strong rebounders, the Wildcats will have their work cut out for them.

Gonzaga vs Arizona All-Time Series

These two schools have met just nine times prior to Saturday’s game, with Arizona holding a 6-3 advantage. Gonzaga has won the last two matchups, beating the Wildcats 91-74 last season en route to the Maui Invitational Tournament title, with current NBA rookies Rui Hachimura and Zach Norvell Jr. dropping 24 and 20 points respectively in the victory.

Gonzaga Roster Notes

Freshman guard Brock Ravet is not currently with the team after taking an indefinite leave for personal reasons in November.

Arizona Roster Notes

Sophomore guard Brandon Williams is out for the season after undergoing knee surgery in August.

Sophomore guard Devonaire Doutrive is no longer with the team after being dismissed for a violation of team rules. Doutrive will reportedly transfer to Boise State.

Redshirt senior forward Stone Gettings is out indefinitely after suffering a concussion against Pepperdine on November 28th.

Head-to-Head: Corey Kispert (GONZ) vs Nico Mannion (ARIZ)

Corey Kispert

Small Forward | 6-6, 215lb (198cm, 97kg) | King’s Way Christian School | Edmonds, WA | Junior

13.7 PPG | 1.8 APG | 4.0 RPG | 0.5 SPG | 0.2 BPG | 1.5 TOV | .486 FG% | .415 3P%

A deadly three-point shooter who can help out on the boards when needed, Corey Kispert is a valuable piece in coach Few’s offense.

The in-state product already has three games with five or more three-pointers made, including a seven for eight performance against Southern Mississippi in the Bahamas.

Outside of his 17 point game against Oregon, Kispert has struggled to find consistency from long range against major-conference foes, going one for seven against Texas A&M and two for seven against Washington.

The Zags will need the junior to be a threat from outside if they are to keep up with Arizona’s high powered attack.

Nico Mannion

Point Guard | 6-2, 175lb | Pinnacle HS | Scottsdale, AZ | Freshman

15.1 PPG | 6.2 APG | 2.0 RPG | 1.0 SPG | 0.0 BPG | 2.4 TOV | .482 FG% | .417 3P%

Nico’s second double-double of the season (10p, 11a).

He joins Russell Brown (1978) Mike Bibby (1996) as the only UA freshmen to have multiple games of 11+ assists. #APlayersProgram. pic.twitter.com/PHNfhCQAWU

— Arizona Basketball (@APlayersProgram) December 12, 2019

Although he is hard to miss thanks to his red hair, Nico Mannion has quickly proven to live up to his recruiting hype as a possible one-and-done candidate.

The son of former pro Pace Mannion, has demonstrated a high basketball IQ, as he looks to get his teammates involved when his shot is not falling instead of forcing the issue.

With three 20+ point games already, Mannion has already shown that he can take on a scoring role when necessary, which could help Arizona in their quest for a return to the Big Dance and more.

Gonzaga at Arizona Predictions and Odds

The latest odds for Gonzaga vs Arizona are provided by bet365 NJ, DraftKings, and 888sport NJ.

Good Luck!

Money Line

888Sport NJ