Creighton vs Gonzaga Sweet 16 Pick and Latest Odds

With championship contenders dropping like flies through the first two rounds of the 2021 NCAA Tournament, Gonzaga is looking more and more like a clear-cut title favorite. The Zags entered the tourney as the nation’s only unbeaten team and as obvious championship favorites. Nothing we’ve seen from Mark Few’s squad through the first two rounds of the tourney has hampered their title prospects.

Moneyline Betting Odds

Team
Gonzaga	-1000
Creighton	+660

Spread Betting Odds

Team
Gonzaga	-12.5 -107
Creighton	+12.5 -113

Over/Under Betting Odds

Team
Gonzaga	O 159 -110
Creighton	U 159 -110

Gonzaga will look to advance to the Elite Eight on Sunday against Creighton. The fifth-seeded Bluejays picked up a last-second win over UC-Santa Barbara in the first round before breezing past Ohio in the round of 32. Creighton has pulled off their fair share of tourney upsets over the years, but knocking off Gonzaga would be one of the most shocking feats we’ve seen in quite some time.

Gonzaga’s Unstoppable Run

Gonzaga has become synonymous with NCAA Tournament over the past few decades, but the program is still in search of its first championship. The Bulldogs have gone from being an underdog story to a legitimate college basketball powerhouse under Few. This season, the team is 28-0 overall and finished 15-0 in conference play. They have essentially gone wire-to-wire as the No. 1 team in the country.

Jalen Suggs, Drew Timme, and Corey Kispert gives Gonzaga a legitimate “Big 3.” Suggs is a surefire NBA lottery pick later this year, while Kispert (19.2 points per game) is the team’s senior leader and top scorer. Timme was the one that stole the show in the 87-71 win over Oklahoma in the last game, as he finished with 30 points, 13 rebounds, and four assists in an all-around dominant effort.

Zags’ Drew Timme brought the handlebar mustache to The Dance 👨

Epic. pic.twitter.com/egavgI5lw4

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) March 21, 2021

No team has had an answer for that trio all year long. Kispert and Suggs combined for 32 points against the Sooners as Gonzaga dominated just about every facet of the game. The Bulldogs connected on 23 of their 26 attempts from the free-throw line while winning the rebounding battle, 34-26. Gonzaga also forced Oklahoma into 13 turnovers in the easy victory.

The Zags averaged 120.7 points per 100 possessions this season, which was the top mark in America. They also held their opponents to just 89.9 points per 100 possessions, which ranked 11th nationwide. As you may expect, Gonzaga is the only team in the country to rank inside the top-11 in both offense and defense. Gonzaga was 14-12-2 against the spread, as well.

Undersized Bluejays

Size could be a problem for Creighton in this one. The Bluejays’ starting center, Christian Bishop, stands just 6’7″. His individual matchup against the 6’10” Timme won’t be an easy one, especially given Timme’s prowess on the boards. Gonzaga is 48th in the nation in rebounds per game, while Creighton is just 109th. If the Bluejays aren’t able to induce Gonzaga into one-and-done possessions by securing defensive rebounds, this game could get ugly in a hurry.

Marcus Zegarowski is Creighton’s leading scorer and assist man, while Mitchell Ballock will have to be on his game to try and keep Creighton afloat offensively. Ballock led the team by shooting nearly 40 percent from three-point range during the regular season. He was only the Bluejays’ fifth-leading scorer at 10.1 points per game, but he may be relied upon if Creighton is to try and keep pace with the best offensive team in the country.

“To beat them, we have to play really, really well for 40 minutes. They’re a great team. They don’t have any weaknesses. I feel confident. We’ll be ready.” – Marcus Zegarowski on facing Gonzaga pic.twitter.com/Ac0von6NBy

— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) March 23, 2021

Really, the only hope for Creighton here is their shooting. The program has become known as a three-point shooting machine under Greg McDermott, and they’ll have to hope the Zags endure an unusually cold shooting day of their own here.

What’s the Best Bet?

Gonzaga was a 33-point favorite in the opening round against Norfolk State, and the Zags still managed to cover. Creighton is rather fortunate to be here after a first-round scare against UC-Santa Barbara, and it’s extremely difficult to imagine the Bluejays’ path to an upset in this one.

Gonzaga just has too much shooting and too much size for Creighton to deal with. This is clearly the biggest mismatch of the Sweet Sixteen, and I’d be rather shocked if the Bulldogs didn’t roll. Take the odds at March Madness betting sites for Gonzaga to cover the 13-point spread.