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College Basketball Picks & Predictions: Gonzaga vs. Washington State (Wednesday)

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The 2024-25 college basketball season rolls on with another loaded Wednesday night of games to wager on. Our top men’s college basketball bets today feature a massive Mountain West matchup between New Mexico and Boise State. Plus, we lock in picks for Gonzaga vs. Washington State in the West Coast Conference and then Oregon vs. Iowa in the Big Ten. 

Note that all betting lines are accurate as of this writing, but shop around for the best odds. Enjoy these college basketball picks and predictions for Wednesday, February 19’s game Gonzaga vs. Washington State.

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Wednesday's Best College Basketball Bets: Gonzaga vs. Washington State

(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)

Gonzaga vs. Washington State

Gonzaga isn't having the same dominant season we're used to seeing. Mark Few's squad is off to its worst start since 2011. Yet, the Zags are still one of the sport's elite teams. They rank 10th in the NET Rankings, 11th at KenPom, and 15th at BartTorvik. Gonzaga has tripped up against tough opponents but regularly takes care of business vs. easier competition. 

This may seem like a trap spot at Washington State with St. Mary's on deck this weekend. However, the opposite has been true with Gonzaga taking advantage of tune-up matchups before taking on its rival. Over the past seven seasons, the Zags are 10-3 ATS in regular season games right before facing St. Mary's - including 8-0 ATS in the past instances. 

Gonzaga has admittedly been a bit overvalued in the betting market this year with a 10-17 ATS record, including 4-10 ATS in conference play. That creates a slight buy-low opportunity for positive regression to their spread covering. 

Washington State is struggling lately, losing six of its last seven games coming into tonight. The Cougars are also just 1-6 ATS in this stretch. They just lost by 21 points to St. Mary's and will have issues getting back on track in a second straight tough matchup. 

Gonzaga owns a massive advantage in the paint offensively. The Zags are elite at scoring inside, ranking 14th nationally and first in the West Coast Conference in two-point offense. Meanwhile, Washington State's two-point defense ranks 240th in the country and dead last in the league. 

The Cougars are also a poor defensive rebounding team, ranking 304th among Division I teams. That's an issue against Gonzaga's frontcourt combo of Graham Ike, Braden Huff, Ben Gregg, and Michael Ayayi - who are all good offensive rebounders. Ike, especially, will be a problem inside. He scored 21 points and was nearly unstoppable in the January meeting vs. Washington State. 

Speaking of that prior meeting, it deserves important context. Gonzaga won 88-75, failing to cover as 17.5-point home favorites. However, the Zags led by 23 points with five minutes to go before taking their foot off the gas. Washington State shot 38.1% from three and 61.5% from the field in that game. 

Chances are, the Cougars won't have as much offensive success this time around - even at home. They're averaging only 68 PPG over the past seven games and Gonzaga is holding opponents to a 29.7% three-point shooting percentage this season (18th in DI). The Zags also rank 18th nationally in defensive rebounding rate and boast the best defensive steal rate in the West Coast Conference. 

Finally, Gonzaga has a notable edge in the turnover department. Washington State's offensive turnover and steal rates rank 342nd and 297th in the country, respectively. The Cougars are also dead last in the conference in both. Gonzaga, on the flip side, is 8th nationally in offensive turnover rate and 12th in offensive steal rate. 

It's always tough backing a large favorite on the road, especially when the Zags haven't been coving spreads. Still, the stats and matchups all point to Gonzaga winning comfortably. 

Pick: Gonzaga -13.5 (-102) 

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