Baylor's Bears Gotta Run with the Zags

As they say, it's not bragging if you can back it up.

Thus, Gonzaga's human springboard, Brandon Clarke, didn't really care if his recent quote about Gonzaga's Round of 32 game with Baylor made their bulletin board or not:

I'm not sure how they're going to guard us.

Viewed in the cold light of harsh reality, dude's got a point.

 

Correct. How wise is it laying double-digit points in a tournament game?

Usually, it's a tough play. Like in a first-round matchup, when coaches would prefer to rest starters early in a blowout and bad beats ensue.

But the weekend's second game is different. Coaches have little time to prepare for their next opponent. So, in cases like this ...

 

Bovada has set the line at Gonzaga -14.5 with the total at 149 and the moneyline at Baylor +775 and Gonzaga -1500.

This has got to be the sportsbook equivalent of making deposits into a savings account. That hook, though, is enough to proceed with caution.

Why bet on Baylor ...

You're an alum with awesome loyalty and your clip's burning a hole in your pocket.

This could be a tall order. However, the Bears raised a few eyebrows by taking out Syracuse by drilling 16 treys. Makai Mason and Jared Butler popped four each in what turned out to be a launchfest. They're gonna have to come close to a repeat performance if Baylor's to stay close.

That first-round victory broke a four-game losing streak. Maybe it's a momentum builder.

 

Why bet on Gonzaga ...

Because Clarke wasn't kidding. The Zags led the nation in scoring at 88.8 points per, which includes their dynamic 89-87 victory over Duke in Hawaii, when they didn't have Killian Tillie.

Rui Hashamura could well be a lottery pick and Josh Perkins is one of the nation's best point guards. The revelation has been grad transfer Brandon Clarke, who's been nothing short of spectacular on both ends of the court. He's the dude who transformed Gonzaga from a legit challenger to one of the tourney favorites.

Toss in Zach Norvell and a five-deep bench, and this squad is well and truly loaded for bear.

 

Instant analysis ...

The sportsbooks set what they figured would be scary odds for this one, but they still don't look like enough, even with garbage time.

Gonzaga took what they considered an embarrassing loss to St Mary's in the WCC tournament final, and they came out in the first round to make an emphatic point that no one's gonna have a chance to slow them down again.

What's more, they didn't need more than one day to get prepped for Baylor, and the Bears need more than one day to get ready for them. All they can do is run with them.

Total pick: Over 148

Result: Gonzaga 83 Baylor 71 ... over covers

***

 

Well, to be accurate, read closely:

Enter to win our March Madness Bracket Contest! All you need to do is pick the most winners, with our point system giving more weight to later-round winners. This is a pool for players, if you get our drift.

As well, we'll have re-sets for each round. You'll never be out of it, so get in it to win it!