Gonzaga vs Baylor Odds & Picks (Dec. 2)

• Gonzaga and Baylor meet in a rematch of the 2021 NCAA title game Friday, December 2.
• No. 14 Gonzaga is a slight 1.5-point neutral-court favorite over No. 6 Baylor
• Read below for Gonzaga vs Baylor odds and prediction

No. 14 Gonzaga (5-2) is a 1.5-point neutral-court favorite against Baylor in a battle of AP top-15 teams at 9 pm ET Friday at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Bulldogs have won three of four after a 93-74 loss at Texas on Nov. 16 as a two-point underdog.

No. 6 Baylor (5-2) has split its last four games and was soundly beaten at Marquette 96-70 the last time out Tuesday, the Bears’ first true road game of the season. Baylor and Gonzaga have not met since the 2021 NCAA championship game, which the Bears won handily 86-70.

Gonzaga vs Baylor Odds

Odds from FanDuel on Dec. 1. Claim the FanDuel Sportsbook promo code. 

Gonzaga is a1.5-point favorite over Baylor at the Sanford Pentagon, a neutral court in Sioux Falls, S.D. The Bulldogs are 2-5 ATS this season and have covered only one of their last six, an 88-72 home victory over Kentucky on Nov. 20 as a four-point favorite. The total has gone over in five of Gonzaga’s seven games.

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Baylor has split its last four games and is 3-4 ATS this season, failing to cover in its last two. The total has gone over in six of the Bears’ seven games.

Baylor Looks to Rebound

The Bears look for a quick recovery after their worst loss in five seasons, a 96-70 wakeup call at Marquette in the BIg East/Big 12 Battle on Tuesday that was as lopsided as the score suggests. Marquette shot 58.3 percent from the floor, made 12 of 25 three-pointers and consistently beat the Bears down the floor with their determined pace of play.

Adam Flagler's ability to get into his pull-up 3 in transition after that in and out behind the back at that speed is extremely impressive pic.twitter.com/0LL3yb7uPr

— Zach Milner (@ZachMilner13) December 1, 2022

Baylor committed a season-high 20 turnovers against Marquette, 15 in the first half, and the Warriors scored 24 points off turnovers to take a 51-25 halftime lead. The game unfolded a lot like the way Baylor disrupted Gonzaga’s offense in the 2021 title game, when the Bears took a 19-point lead in the first half. Baylor entered the Marquette game third in Division I in assist-to-turnover ratio.

Guards LJ Cryer (17.9 points per game) and Adam Flagler (16.9) are the Bears’ major weapons. Each has made at least three 3-pointers per game, and Flagler is sixth in Division I at 3.71 per and also is averaging 6.9 assists. Freshman 6’4 Keyonte George is averaging 14.4 points and 2.3 threes. He is rated as the best NBA prospect in this game, a potential lottery pick.

Gonzaga Marches On

The Bulldogs continue their annual preseason tour of the national elite against Baylor, the fifth heavyweight opponent in their first eight games. Victories over Michigan State and Kentucky have been balanced by losses to Purdue and Texas, begging the question as into which camp does Baylor belong. Gonzaga lost by 19 at Texas in Austin and by 18 to Purdue in the semifinals of the Phil Knight Legacy before beating Xavier 88-84 in the third-place game and are out of the AP Top 25 for the first time since February, 2018.

Best Offensive Players In #CollegeBasketball This Year (HPLLC Offensive Player Overalls)@drewtimme2@adamflagler@KrisMurray24@BigEballer_@zach_edey@keyonte1george@H_Dickinson24@FosterLoyer@playforhim3@150__KD@Oscartshiebwe34@jakestephens0@twonster4080#StatsTwitter pic.twitter.com/3RmmgMo5nM

— HoopPowerAnalytics (@hoop_power) November 25, 2022

It is fair to say Gonzaga is once again a very good group, but it does not have the projectable NBA-type stars that marked the last several seasons. Jalen Suggs and Corey Kispert, members of the 2021 team, were 2021 NBA first-round draft picks. So were Chet Holmgren and Andrew Nembhard last year. While Drew Timme (20.0 points, 7.4 rebounds) continues to put up numbers, the Bulldogs’ surrounding cast is not quite as strong.

Small forward Julian Strawther (14.1, 8.4) is considered the Bulldogs’ top NBA prospect, but he is projected as a late first-rounder. He had 20/14 against Kentucky and 23/9 against Xavier.

Gonzaga vs Baylor Prediction

This game matches the only Division I teams that each have been ranked No. 1 at some point in the last three seasons and are among the favorites. Baylor was almost unrecognizable against Marquette, but it’s experienced backcourt should recover. Gonzaga is missing the Suggs/Nembhard type of point guard play that makes things easier for everyone, but sophomore Nolan Hickman could be the answer there. This has an NCAA tournament late-possession vibe, which creates value for the points.

• Pick: Baylor +1.5 (-114)
• Season CBK: 5-2 ATS