NCAA Tournament Betting Preview: #1 Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Florida State Seminoles
Revenge. Revenge. Revenge. That is the theme of this year’s Sweet Sixteen matchup between the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the Florida State Seminoles.
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It's a rematch of a Sweet Sixteen game played last year that the Seminoles won by 15 despite being a six-point underdog. Gonzaga (32-3) has been an offensive juggernaut all season, leading the country in scoring and scoring margin. Meanwhile, Florida State (29-7) has won 16 of its last 18 games, with its only losses coming to 2019 NCAA bracket 1-seeds Duke and North Carolina. The Seminoles have to travel across country for this game in California, but they have proven they have the ability to travel well. The Bulldogs are favored by -8.
Top Seeded Bulldogs
Gonzaga built up a 39-23 halftime lead and it was just enough of a cushion to dispatch the Baylor Bears despite their second half rally.. The offensive explosion was there even when the Bulldogs took their foot off the gas. The three point shooting was fine, and the rebounding was strong, out rebounding Baylor by nine and that will be a huge factor on Thursday night.
Gonzaga is an unselfish team and that will be huge against the pressure defense of Leonard Hamilton and the Seminoles. They came up with 19 assists against the Bears. They also have to at least hold even on the boards and then get out on the move. Gonzaga has done one thing well all season and that is getting out early and demoralizing opponents. A fast start will again be key to get by Florida State.
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Seminoles Impressive
Ja Morant got his 28, but Florida State came up with a brilliant all-around effort in the 90-62 win over Murray State. The Seminoles dominated on the boards, hit over 50% from the field, and kept up the defensive pressure to allow Ja to do his thing, but stopped everyone else.
Now the Noles have to do it again against Gonzaga after winning 75-60 in last year’s tournament. They have to get the job done by owning the boards, continuing to make their free throws, and attacking the Bulldog guards and forcing plenty of mistakes. This is a veteran, fearless team with the overall scoring punch to get up and down the court. There will be a whole lot of talk about revenge, and Gonzaga is the absolute real deal, but Florida State is the exact right team that can take down this one-seed. The Seminoles are long, experienced, and they come in waves. They’ll also be rested enough to handle the tempo, attacking from the arc and winning the rebounding battle just enough to stay alive.
Pick and Prediction
If you have Gonzaga going out early in your bracket, this is the game you picked it to happen. I am right there with you. Florida State is just the team to match up with the Bulldogs and once again end their post season run. I am taking Florida State to cover and win the game.
