Two college basketball titans go head-to-head in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament this Saturday from Wichita, Kansas, where the 8-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs and 1-seeded Houston Cougars will duel for a spot in the Sweet 16.
Tip time is set for 5:40 p.m. PT/8:40 p.m. ET. Fans can watch the game on TNT or stream it on Max. The winner advances to play in the Midwest regional in Indianapolis next week.
The Zags (26-8, 14-4 WCC) enter Saturday’s matchup as the underdog for the first time this season. After decimating 9-seeded Georgia in the first round on Thursday, Gonzaga is listed as a 5.5-point underdog to the Cougars on FanDuel Sportsbook. The last time the Bulldogs weren’t favored in a game was last season’s Sweet 16 matchup against Purdue, when they were 4.5-point dogs to the Boilermakers.
Khalif Battle led the way against Georgia with 24 points and eight rebounds in his NCAA Tournament debut. The sixth-year guard has crossed the 20-point threshold in three of his last five games and is averaging 18.8 points on 52.4% from the field, including 44.4% from 3-point land, during that stretch. FanDuel lists Battle at -108 odds to score over 13.5 points against Houston.
The Cougars (31-4, 19-1 Big 12) advanced to the round of 32 after throttling 16-seeded SIU Edwardsville, 78-40, on Thursday. Four players scored in double-figures for Kelvin Sampson’s squad, led by Milos Uzan’s 16 points. LJ Cryer added 15 while Ja’Vier Francis chipped in 13 off the bench.
Gonzaga has made nine consecutive trips to the Sweet 16, tied for the longest such streak since 1985, while Houston has made it five times in a row under Sampson. Only one of those streaks will remain intact after these two square off in what’s shaping up to be a thrilling second-round matchup from INTRUST Bank Arena.
Here’s the latest betting odds and trends heading into Saturday.
Gonzaga vs. Houston Odds, Spread and Total
Spread:
Moneyline:
Total: 139.5 (Over -115/Under -105)
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
Gonzaga vs. Houston How to Watch
Gonzaga vs. Houston Betting Trends
Gonzaga vs. Houston Prediction and Picks
The Zags will need to be near-perfect on offense and must match the Cougars’ physicality on both ends of the floor in order to advance to their 10th straight Sweet 16 game. Mark Few’s squad has proven it can pull out a win in ugly fashion, like when it beat Saint Mary’s in the West Coast Conference championship despite going 1-for-15 from deep. Houston’s swarming defense poses a different challenge entirely, though, and its slow and methodical pace on offense could limit Gonzaga’s chances of building any sort of momentum if the Bulldogs can’t create extra scoring opportunities off turnovers.
Still, this Gonzaga team has played an inordinate amount of close games this season, so it’s only reasonable to think these two teams will locked into a tightly contested affair until the final buzzer.
PICK: Gonzaga +5.5 (-120 odds via FanDuel Sportsbook).
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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