Gonzaga vs Georgia Prediction, Preview & Odds: NCAA Tournament First Round

Originally posted on College Football News
By Pete Fiutak | Last updated Mar 19, 2025 2:38 AM ET

It’s a matchup of the darlings from the analytics world.

May someone love you like the KenPom ratings swooned over Gonzaga, and Georgia somehow got a whole lot of NET credit for losing.

The Bulldogs lost twice in the head-to-head matchups to Saint Mary’s, and then when it really counted … boom. In a 58-51 slugfest, Gonzaga flexed its muscle and won the West Coast Conference Tournament.

Georgia struggled and sputtered in the loaded SEC. It couldn’t win a tight game, it went through a 2-9 run, and then came the win over Florida that turned everything around. Even with a loss to Oklahoma right away in the SEC Tournament, the late four-game winning streak saved the season.

This winner gets the fun of dealing with Houston - unless SIU Edwardsville does something insane.

Gonzaga vs Georgia Game Preview

Gonzaga vs Georgia How To Watch

Date: Thursday, March 20
Venue: INTRUST Bank Arena, Wichita, KS
Time: 4:45 pm ET
TV: TBS
Teams: (9) Georgia (20-12), (8) Gonzaga (25-8)
Region: Midwest
NCAA Tournament Schedule, Predictions, Previews

Why Georgia Will Win

Asa Newell and the interior of the SEC Bulldog defense should hold up against the WCC Bulldogs.

Georgia doesn’t have a bunch of offensive pop from the outside, but it comes up with plenty of rebounds, lots of blocks, and it should have a strong advantage inside against a Gonzaga team that doesn’t have the nastiness inside of past killers.

Finding scoring from somewhere on a consistent basis is everything - Georgia can’t win on its D. The team is 14-0 when scoring 77 points or more, and …

Why Gonzaga Will Win

Gonzaga’s defense improved as the year went on.
How many team got past 77 points against Gonzaga this season?

Nine, and it took overtime in three of those games to get there, and no one has hit the mark since mid-January.

These Bulldogs lead the nation in assists, there aren’t any turnovers coming for Georgia to capitalize on, and the D from three is tremendous.

In what should be a defensive fight …

Gonzaga vs Georgia: Who Will Win?

Gonzaga will come up with more takeaways, it’ll be a bit better on the defensive boards, and it will win the free throw battle.

Gonzaga is third in the nation in free throw shooting, and while Georgia isn’t bad, it’s not good enough. The SEC Bulldogs will get close, but all of a sudden it’ll look like the middle of February again.

Gonzaga vs Georgia Prediction, Betting Lines

Prediction: Gonzaga 77, Georgia 72
Gonzaga vs Georgia Betting Lines
BetMGM Line: Gonzaga -6.5, o/u: 149.5
DraftKings Line: Gonzaga -5.5, o/u: 150.5
FanDuel Line: Gonzaga -6.5, o/u: 150.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2.5

First Look Quick Analysis, Predictions
East | Midwest | South | West
Fiu Bluesky | CFN Bluesky | CFN X | CFN FB