Who plays
Bucknell Bison @ Gonzaga Bulldogs
Current records: Bucknell 4-7, Gonzaga 8-3
Here's how to watch
- When: Saturday, December 21, 2024 at 9 p.m. ET
- Where: McCarthey Athletic Center – Spokane, Washington
- TV: ESPN Plus
- Consequences: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket price: $280.00
What you should know
If the oddsmakers' predictions come true, the near future looks bright for Gonzaga. They'll be home for the holidays to welcome the Bucknell Bison to the McCarthey Athletic Center on Saturday at 9 p.m. ET. The timing is certainly in the Bulldogs' favor, as the team has seven straight home wins (dating back to last season) while the Bison have suffered three straight road losses.
Last Wednesday, everything was in full swing for Gonzaga against Nicholls and the team secured a 102-72 victory. The Bulldogs have made a habit of blowing away their opponents, having now won five games by 25 points or more this season.
Braden Huff was the standout offensive player of the contest as he was 11 for 12 en route to 25 points and six rebounds. He also posted a 91.7% field goal percentage, his highest since March. Another player who made a difference was Ryan Nembhard, who recorded a double-double with 18 points and ten assists.
Gonzaga worked as a unit and finished the game with 23 assists. They significantly outperformed their opponents in this regard, with Nicholls only scoring 13 points.
Meanwhile, Bucknell fought well in its overtime game against Radford two weeks ago, but ended up with a less than desirable result. They fell to the Highlanders 74-70.
Bucknell's loss came despite a good game from Achile Spadone, who was 6-for-8 en route to 22 points and two steals. Spadone had some trouble finding his footing against St. Bona. on December 4th, so that was a nice turnaround. Elvin Edmonds IV, on the other hand, was significantly less helpful: He scored 0:7 from a distance.
Gonzaga's win increased their record to 8-3. As for Bucknell, the loss dropped their record to 4-7.
Saturday's game is expected to be a heated one: Gonzaga hasn't given the ball away easily this season, averaging just 9.6 turnovers per game. However, things are different for Bucknell as they have an average score of 14.7. Given Gonzaga's significant advantage in this area, Bucknell must find a way to close the gap.
Opportunities
According to the latest college basketball odds, Gonzaga is the heavy favorite against Bucknell by 35.5 points.
The line of this game has changed quite a bit since it opened, as the Bulldogs started out as 31.5-point favorites.
The over/under is 151.5 points.
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