Gonzaga vs. Georgia: 2025 NCAA Tournament Odds & Picks

by BettingPros Staff |
Mar 16, 2025

The 2025 NCAA Tournament is officially here! The March Madness Bracket is set, and first-round NCAA Tournament matchups are in place. It’s time to make your picks and predictions for the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament! We’re here to help as we’ll have picks and predictions for each of the first-round 2025 NCAA Tournament games. Here are our top picks and predictions for Gonzaga vs. Georgia.

2025 NCAA Tournament Odds & Picks: Gonzaga vs. Georgia

Let’s dive into our top picks and predictions for this opening-round NCAA Tournament matchup.

2025 NCAA Tournament Preview: Gonzaga vs. Georgia

Gonzaga 2025 NCAA Tournament Preview

Another year, another auto bid for Mark Few’s squad. What else is new?

After ranking sixth in the preseason AP Poll, the Bulldogs had a mildly disappointing season. Their usual dominance in the WCC was interrupted by losses to Oregon State, Santa Clara, and Saint Mary’s, but Gonzaga still finished on top in the conference tournament. This was due in large part to their interior presence and transition play. Their 11th-ranked offense has won them games, as they take care of the ball with the fifth-lowest turnover rate, 16th-best midrange shooting percentage, and eighth-best near-proximity rate.

Graham Ike is a big reason that Gonzaga scores so efficiently inside, with his 6-9 frame and ability to draw fouls at a top-40 rate. But sophomore big man Braden Huff has come into his own, and his 18-point effort helped Gonzaga beat Saint Mary’s in the conference championship game.

This team was lauded for its depth before the season began, and there’s still potential for that. The dynamic backcourt duo of Ryan Nembhard and Nolan Hickman is the backbone of Few’s squad. Hickman’s three-point shooting (43% on the season) complements Nembhard’s playmaking and facilitating. The team is bolstered by three-level scorer Khalif Battle, while Ben Gregg’s hyper-efficient form only continues to improve this team.

Despite a relatively down season, Gonzaga has maintained defensive excellence, ranking top 30 in KenPom efficiency and top 20 in three-point defense, holding opponents to just 30.2% shooting from deep.

The analytics may love this team, ranking Gonzaga in the top 10 across different websites, but the pure resume is lacking. When push came to shove, the Zags only beat one tournament team this year. That was Saint Mary’s just last week, and the Zags were 1-2 against the Gaels on the year. It’s hard to doubt such a squad on paper, but there seems to be a bit of paper lion effect here and the path to the Sweet 16 won’t be as easy as last year’s path.

Any team that will force Gonzaga to play in the halfcourt with an effective interior defense and rebounding is going to give the Zags problems. Still, it’s hard to doubt their numbers, and it’s tough to imagine any other team being selected as a potential dark horse to make the Final Four out of their respective region.

Georgia 2025 NCAA Tournament Preview

One month ago, after a four-game losing streak, it seemed as if Georgia was destined for the NIT. Then, a win over Florida turned everything around. Since then, the Bulldogs have gone 4-1, ranking as the seventh-best team in basketball over that stretch with a top-25 offense and defense. It's a small sample size, of course, but in the SEC, it's of note.

Georgia won't blow you away with its shooting, but what bolsters the Bulldogs is their 15th-ranked OReb% and elite free throw rate. Asa Newell has been a delightful freshman to watch with his 6-11 frame, helping fuel Georgia's 24th-ranked near-proximity shooting percentage and third-ranked second-chance conversion percentage.

Defensively, Georgia lets up nothing easy, with a top-30 defensive eFG%, ranking in the top 50 at all three levels. Keeping holes plugged everywhere on defense is an effective way to stay close against any opponent, and the Bulldogs have faced some of the best. This team beat St. John's, took Auburn to the wire, and beat Florida. They've also had some terrible losses to good teams as well - low floor, high ceiling would be a simple way to put it.

Georgia’s win over St. John's was an impressive victory, but otherwise, their non-conference strength of schedule ranked 320th this season. The Bulldogs were also helped in that game by the Johnnies going 2-of-19 from deep. There's not much that will surprise opponents, and their foes will get a lot of shots up without a high turnover rate and defensive rebounding percentage.

2025 NCAA Tournament Predictions: Gonzaga vs. Georgia

It's the battle of the Bulldogs in this 8-9 matchup. Gonzaga uncharacteristically lost four games in the West Coast Conference. However, when it mattered the most, the Bulldogs prevailed. They won the West Coast Conference and knocked off St. Mary's for the first time in three tries. Gonzaga is talented and dangerous. The Bulldogs have shot 57.8% from inside the arc and have knocked down over 80% of foul shots. Being able to knock down foul shots is huge during the NCAA Tournament. Meanwhile, Georgia has shot just 33.5% from inside and 53.8% from deep. They've also hit only 71.7% from the foul line this season. Georgia is usually terrific on the offensive glass, but it's unlikely they'll dominate the glass against Gonzaga. After all, Gonzaga has limited teams to 26.4% of offensive rebounds per game. I've got Gonzaga at -5.5.

2025 NCAA Tournament Picks: Gonzaga vs. Georgia

Gonzaga -5.5 (-110)

Check out all of our 2025 NCAA Tournament Bracket & Betting Coverage >>

2025 NCAA Tournament Sports Betting Picks

For those looking to place bets on the matchups, let's take a look at the early odds and picks for the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

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