Gonzaga-Kansas Betting Preview

The Gonzaga Bulldogs and Kansas Jayhawks looked headed for a championship showdown last year according to the Dunkel Index, which had the Bulldogs ranked No. 1 and the Jayhawks ranked No. 2 when the season came to a sudden halt because of COVID-19. In the better-late-than-never category, these two teams will meet on Thanksgiving Day to highlight Day 2 of the college basketball season. Tip off is 1:30 p.m. ET at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Ft. Myers, Florida.

Typical of major college programs, both squads will have to replace key pieces from last year's teams. For Kansas coach Bill Self, finding players to fill the roles of departed big man Udoka Azubuike and point guard Devon Dotson is paramount. Self will be looking for more offense from reigning Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Garrett at the guard position and will slide David McCormack into the big-man role after starting 17 games last year. Opening the season away from Allen Fieldhouse shouldn't adversely affect the Jayhawks as they come into the contest with a 9-4 ATS record in their last 13 neutral site games.

The Bulldogs also suffered a big loss when forward Filip Petrusev, last year's West Coast Conference Player of the Year, decided to head overseas rather than return. But coach Mark Few has preseason All-American Corey Kispert returning at forward and has added Florida transfer Andrew Nembhard and his 11.2-point scoring average to the roster. Gonzaga has not been as good on neutral courts, however, and comes in with just a 1-5 ATS record in their last 6 neutral-site games.

DUNKEL'S PICK:

Vegas has the Bulldogs a 4-point favorite and Dunkel is calling for the upset with the Jayhawks calculated as 1 point stronger. Dunkel also sees the score going over the Vegas line of 150 with a calculated total of 154.774.

Dunkel's Pick: Kansas (+4); Over

To get all of today's college basketball picks, click on the Basketball heading above.