StatFox.com - Sports Handicapping Community

The Leader In Sports Handicapping

#14 Gonzaga hosts San Diego State at midnight
By: Zach Cohen - StatFox
Published: 11/13/2016  at  1:10:00 PM
  Print This Article    

SAN DIEGO STATE AZTECS (1-0)

vs. GONZAGA BULLDOGS (0-0)

McCarthey Athletic Center – Spokane, WA
Tip-off: Tuesday, 12:00 am ET
Line: Gonzaga -9.0

San Diego State will be looking to make a statement with a big road victory over #14 Gonzaga on Tuesday.

The Aztecs opened the season with a 69-59 victory over San Diego, but they were favored by 19 in that game and didn’t perform the way they were supposed to. Part of the reason for that is SF Malik Pope (Knee) being out. He’s going to miss this game as well, and it’s a big loss for San Diego State. Pope is considered to be one of the top-20 NBA prospects in college right now, and this is supposed to be his breakout year. The Aztecs will be hoping to have him back soon. Gonzaga, meanwhile, beat Utah Valley State 92-69 in its first game of the season. The Bulldogs have a very good team this season and they know the importance of winning this one at home. These teams have met just once since 1997, and San Diego State won-and-covered in that game. That meeting was on Nov. 16, 2010, and the Aztecs pulled out a 79-76 victory. One trend that sticks out in this one is the fact that San Diego State was 6-0 ATS off a no-cover where the team won straight up as a favorite last season. Gonzaga, however, is 46-30 ATS in November games under head coach Mark Few.

With Malik Pope (7.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG last season) out, the Aztecs relied on their backcourt of Gs Jeremy Hemsley and Trey Kell to score the basketball. They certainly responded in the season opener, as Hemsley went off for 25 points in 28 minutes of action and Kell had 23 points in 35 minutes. If the two of them can continue to score efficiently then the Aztecs just might be able to go into Spokane and upset the Bulldogs. San Diego State will, however, need big performances out of guys like F Zylan Cheatham and C Valentine Izundu. Cheatham and Izundu are the only two rotation players with size on this team, and the two of them must come ready to rebound and protect the rim on Monday. If they do not do their jobs then it’s going to be nearly impossible for the Aztecs to win this one. Gonzaga has one of the best frontcourts in the nation and the Bulldogs will certainly go inside often in this one.

Gonzaga is a top mid-major once again this season and the team’s success will ultimately come down to the health of C Przemek Karnowski. Karnowski missed most of last season, and that allowed him to be granted an extra year of eligibility. He looked good in the first game of the year, putting up 14 points with seven boards on 7-for-10 shooting from the field. Karnowski is going to be the biggest player on the floor, by far, tonight, and he’ll need to dominate this game for the Zags. G Nigel Williams-Goss is another x-factor for the Bulldogs this season. Williams-Goss came over from Washington, and he was one of the most appealing transfers in the country. He averaged 15.6 PPG, 5.9 APG, 4.7 RPG and 1.1 SPG in his sophomore season in Washington, and he put up 14 points with eight boards and six dimes in Gonzaga’s season opener. It would not be surprising if he has yet another huge game on Monday.


FoxSheets.com
The FoxSheets - the most advanced sports handicapping information available on the internet.
Sign up for professional sports betting information including fantastic trends, and Free FoxSheets.
E-mail: