Baylor vs. Gonzaga odds: 2021 NCAA Tournament title game picks, March Madness predictions from proven expert
Baylor vs. Gonzaga odds: 2021 NCAA Tournament title game picks, March Madness predictions from proven expert
Matt Severance has locked in his selection for Gonzaga vs. Baylor in the 2021 NCAA Tournament title game
By CBS Sports Staff
USATSI
After a cancelled tournament and a tumultuous season, the top-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs finally get a chance to make history when they face the No. 3 Baylor Bears Monday night on CBS in the National Championship Game at the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Gonzaga (31-0) can become the seventh team, and the first since the 1975-76 Indiana Hoosiers, to go unbeaten if it can win its first national title. The Zags lead the nation in scoring and shooting percentage, but they were taken to the brink by 11th-seeded UCLA in the semifinal Saturday before winning 93-90 on a desperation 3-pointer. Baylor (27-2) also is seeking its first championship and is the nation's best 3-point shooting team and plays impressive defense.
Tip-off is scheduled for 9:20 p.m. ET at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. William Hill Sportsbook lists the Bulldogs as a 4.5-point favorite in its latest Baylor vs. Gonzaga odds, and the over-under for total points scored is 159.5. Before finalizing any Baylor vs. Gonzaga picks, be sure to see the Gonzaga vs. Baylor prediction and betting advice from SportsLine's Matt Severance.
A well-connected writer and handicapper who has worked in the industry since 2005, Severance is on a stunning run and called UCLA to cover vs. Gonzaga in the Final Four. He is on a blistering 138-101 roll on college basketball picks against the spread, returning $2,674 to $100 bettors during that span. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, he has set his sights on Baylor vs. Gonzaga in the 2021 NCAA Tournament National Championship Game. You can head to SportsLine to see his picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Gonzaga vs. Baylor:
Gonzaga vs. Baylor spread: Gonzaga -4.5
Gonzaga vs. Baylor over-under: 159.5 points
Gonzaga vs. Baylor money line: Gonzaga -190, Baylor +170
ZAGS: The Bulldogs have won 14 straight neutral-site games
BAY: The Bears are 19-10 against the spread this season
Why Gonzaga can cover
Gonzaga is 4-1 against the spread in the NCAA Tournament 2021, and it scores more than 92 points and shoots better than 55 percent, leading the nation in both categories. A talented core featuring forwards Drew Timme and Corey Kispert and guards Jalen Suggs and Joel Ayayi present matchup problems everywhere. Timme poured in 25 points Saturday, and Suggs scored 16 and hit the winning shot at the buzzer. Ayayi scored 22 and Kispert had 15, and all four grabbed at least four rebounds. Andrew Nembhard had 11 points as all five starters hit double figures.
With plenty of reliable options, the Bulldogs spread the ball around, ranking second in the nation with 18.3 assists, and they shoot 46.5 percent from 3-point range. Kispert hits 44.7 percent from outside, which is fifth in the nation, and Ayayi (39.4), Suggs (33.3) and Nembhard (33.3) all hit at least a third of their tries. Four Bulldogs starters average at least five boards, led by Timme (7.1) and Ayayi (7.0), as they outrebound opponents by eight per game. Nearly half of Timme's come on the offensive end (72 of 147), and the sophomore's tenacity rubs off on his teammates.
Why Baylor can cover
While the Bears are the nation's sixth-highest scoring team, their chances of slowing Gonzaga's high-octane offense may hinge on a defense that has limited four NCAA opponents to 63 points or fewer. Junior Davion Mitchell, named the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year on Friday, likely will be assigned to guard Suggs in one of the more intriguing individual matchups. Mitchell earned the nickname "Off Night" for his ability to take an opponent out of his game.
His defensive wizardry aside, Mitchell shoots a team-high 45.3 percent from 3-point range, leads the Bears in assists (5.5 per game) and is third in scoring (14.0). He registered a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) and was 3 of 6 from behind the arc vs. Houston (12 points, 11 rebounds) while sparking a defense that held the Cougars to 20 first-half points. Baylor owns a plus-42 turnover margin for the tournament, the highest since Kentucky in 1996.
How to make Baylor vs. Gonzaga picks
Severance is leaning over on the total and he's found a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Gonzaga vs. Baylor? And which critical X-factor makes one side hit hard? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the Baylor vs. Gonzaga spread you need to jump on, all from expert who has crushed his college basketball picks.
Gonzaga vs. Baylor predictions: NCAA championship game picks, odds, spread, lines for March Madness
Our experts have picks both straight-up and against the spread for Monday's national title game
By Kyle Boone
10 mins ago2 min read
The field began with 68 title-hungry teams, and now after all the smoke has cleared, we are down to the final two. On the heels of one of the most interesting NCAA Tournaments in modern history, the two teams that began the season at No. 1 and No. 2 -- Gonzaga and Baylor -- will meet for the national title on Monday night in Indianapolis. The Bears cruised in their Final Four matchup with Houston while the Bulldogs needed overtime and a halfcourt heave from freshman Jalen Suggs to get by No. 11 seed UCLA.
Both teams have played in one title game previously and came up short. The Zags fell to North Carolina in 2017 when they carried a similar record into the title game. The Bears only appearance came way back in 1948 when they fell to Kentucky. Reminder: the tournament field some 70 years ago? Just eight teams. Now, Scott Drew was tasked with guiding Baylor through a field of 68!
Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander set the stage with storylines and their picks for Gonzaga-Baylor. Listen below:
Our team of writers has sized up the matchups and come up with picks both straight up and against the spread for the national championship game. You can find all our records for the tournament picking games by clicking here. Odds via William Hill Sportsbook
Who will win and cover every game, and which teams should be on upset alert? Visit SportsLine now to see which team to back in every matchup, all from the model that's up $2,600 for $100 players.
(1) Gonzaga vs. (1) Baylor
Time: 9:20 p.m. ET | Location: Lucas Oil Stadium
TV: CBS | Live stream: March Madness Live
The Baylor we have seen this tournament is the midseason Baylor that was destroying every team in its path. That was the Baylor team that led all of college basketball for most of the season in scoring margin, ahead of Gonzaga. But I can't pick against the Zags -- not straight up and not even against the number. This has felt like a team of destiny for awhile, and Suggs' 3-point bank shot at the buzzer in OT vs. UCLA only validated that for me. Baylor will have its runs, and this will be a real back-and-forth chess match, but I'm taking the best 2-point shooting team in decades to edge the best 3-point shooting team in the country. Prediction: Gonzaga 82, Baylor 77 -- Boone
By CBS Sports Staff
USATSIAfter a cancelled tournament and a tumultuous season, the top-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs finally get a chance to make history when they face the No. 3 Baylor Bears Monday night on CBS in the National Championship Game at the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Gonzaga (31-0) can become the seventh team, and the first since the 1975-76 Indiana Hoosiers, to go unbeaten if it can win its first national title. The Zags lead the nation in scoring and shooting percentage, but they were taken to the brink by 11th-seeded UCLA in the semifinal Saturday before winning 93-90 on a desperation 3-pointer. Baylor (27-2) also is seeking its first championship and is the nation's best 3-point shooting team and plays impressive defense.
Tip-off is scheduled for 9:20 p.m. ET at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. William Hill Sportsbook lists the Bulldogs as a 4.5-point favorite in its latest Baylor vs. Gonzaga odds, and the over-under for total points scored is 159.5. Before finalizing any Baylor vs. Gonzaga picks, be sure to see the Gonzaga vs. Baylor prediction and betting advice from SportsLine's Matt Severance.
A well-connected writer and handicapper who has worked in the industry since 2005, Severance is on a stunning run and called UCLA to cover vs. Gonzaga in the Final Four. He is on a blistering 138-101 roll on college basketball picks against the spread, returning $2,674 to $100 bettors during that span. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, he has set his sights on Baylor vs. Gonzaga in the 2021 NCAA Tournament National Championship Game. You can head to SportsLine to see his picks. Here are several college basketball odds and trends for Gonzaga vs. Baylor:
Gonzaga vs. Baylor spread: Gonzaga -4.5
Gonzaga vs. Baylor over-under: 159.5 points
Gonzaga vs. Baylor money line: Gonzaga -190, Baylor +170
ZAGS: The Bulldogs have won 14 straight neutral-site games
BAY: The Bears are 19-10 against the spread this season
Why Gonzaga can cover
Gonzaga is 4-1 against the spread in the NCAA Tournament 2021, and it scores more than 92 points and shoots better than 55 percent, leading the nation in both categories. A talented core featuring forwards Drew Timme and Corey Kispert and guards Jalen Suggs and Joel Ayayi present matchup problems everywhere. Timme poured in 25 points Saturday, and Suggs scored 16 and hit the winning shot at the buzzer. Ayayi scored 22 and Kispert had 15, and all four grabbed at least four rebounds. Andrew Nembhard had 11 points as all five starters hit double figures.
With plenty of reliable options, the Bulldogs spread the ball around, ranking second in the nation with 18.3 assists, and they shoot 46.5 percent from 3-point range. Kispert hits 44.7 percent from outside, which is fifth in the nation, and Ayayi (39.4), Suggs (33.3) and Nembhard (33.3) all hit at least a third of their tries. Four Bulldogs starters average at least five boards, led by Timme (7.1) and Ayayi (7.0), as they outrebound opponents by eight per game. Nearly half of Timme's come on the offensive end (72 of 147), and the sophomore's tenacity rubs off on his teammates.
Why Baylor can cover
While the Bears are the nation's sixth-highest scoring team, their chances of slowing Gonzaga's high-octane offense may hinge on a defense that has limited four NCAA opponents to 63 points or fewer. Junior Davion Mitchell, named the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year on Friday, likely will be assigned to guard Suggs in one of the more intriguing individual matchups. Mitchell earned the nickname "Off Night" for his ability to take an opponent out of his game.
His defensive wizardry aside, Mitchell shoots a team-high 45.3 percent from 3-point range, leads the Bears in assists (5.5 per game) and is third in scoring (14.0). He registered a double-double (12 points, 11 rebounds) and was 3 of 6 from behind the arc vs. Houston (12 points, 11 rebounds) while sparking a defense that held the Cougars to 20 first-half points. Baylor owns a plus-42 turnover margin for the tournament, the highest since Kentucky in 1996.
How to make Baylor vs. Gonzaga picks
Severance is leaning over on the total and he's found a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Gonzaga vs. Baylor? And which critical X-factor makes one side hit hard? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the Baylor vs. Gonzaga spread you need to jump on, all from expert who has crushed his college basketball picks.
Gonzaga vs. Baylor predictions: NCAA championship game picks, odds, spread, lines for March Madness
Our experts have picks both straight-up and against the spread for Monday's national title game
By Kyle Boone
10 mins ago2 min read
The field began with 68 title-hungry teams, and now after all the smoke has cleared, we are down to the final two. On the heels of one of the most interesting NCAA Tournaments in modern history, the two teams that began the season at No. 1 and No. 2 -- Gonzaga and Baylor -- will meet for the national title on Monday night in Indianapolis. The Bears cruised in their Final Four matchup with Houston while the Bulldogs needed overtime and a halfcourt heave from freshman Jalen Suggs to get by No. 11 seed UCLA.
Both teams have played in one title game previously and came up short. The Zags fell to North Carolina in 2017 when they carried a similar record into the title game. The Bears only appearance came way back in 1948 when they fell to Kentucky. Reminder: the tournament field some 70 years ago? Just eight teams. Now, Scott Drew was tasked with guiding Baylor through a field of 68!
Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander set the stage with storylines and their picks for Gonzaga-Baylor. Listen below:
Our team of writers has sized up the matchups and come up with picks both straight up and against the spread for the national championship game. You can find all our records for the tournament picking games by clicking here. Odds via William Hill Sportsbook
Who will win and cover every game, and which teams should be on upset alert? Visit SportsLine now to see which team to back in every matchup, all from the model that's up $2,600 for $100 players.
(1) Gonzaga vs. (1) Baylor
Time: 9:20 p.m. ET | Location: Lucas Oil Stadium
TV: CBS | Live stream: March Madness Live
The Baylor we have seen this tournament is the midseason Baylor that was destroying every team in its path. That was the Baylor team that led all of college basketball for most of the season in scoring margin, ahead of Gonzaga. But I can't pick against the Zags -- not straight up and not even against the number. This has felt like a team of destiny for awhile, and Suggs' 3-point bank shot at the buzzer in OT vs. UCLA only validated that for me. Baylor will have its runs, and this will be a real back-and-forth chess match, but I'm taking the best 2-point shooting team in decades to edge the best 3-point shooting team in the country. Prediction: Gonzaga 82, Baylor 77 -- Boone
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