Sunday tournament play starts with the overall No. 1 seed taking on No. 5 Creighton, the second-place finisher in the Big East.

Gonzaga is simply on a totally different level than the rest of the Sweet Sixteen (and the rest of the entire tournament field). The Bulldogs are 28-0 and win games by an average of 23.4 points per game. Head coach Mark Few’s team was favored by 33 against Norfolk State in the opening round of the tourney. They won by 43.

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Does Creighton offer any value as an underdog? They have only been in this role three times prior this season.

Game: Creighton Bluejays (22-8, 14-16 ATS) vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs (28-0, 14-12-2 ATS)

When: 2:10 PM ET, Sunday, March 28, 2021

Where: Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana

Current Line: GON -13  Total: 158

TV Coverage: CBS

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In Gonzaga’s 28 games this season, they were the favorite 28 times. They faced just four single-digit point spreads. Not surprisingly, these four games were against Kansas, West Virginia, Iowa, and Virginia. 

In the other 24 games this season including the West Coast Conference championship game against BYU and the Bulldogs two tournament games thus far, they have faced double-digit point spreads.

That trend continues on Sunday as Gonzaga is favored by 13 points. The Bulldogs have not been outstanding against the spread, but they are 14-12-2 ATS for the season. 

Gonzaga has had success recently ATS. They have covered in both tournament games so far and they are 6-3 ATS in their last nine games.

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Much of the Bulldogs’ success can be attributed to an offense that leads the nation in scoring. Gonzaga averages 92.1 points per game. They are also ranked No. 12 in defensive efficiency which is why they are able to beat teams by an average of 23.4 points per game.

In each of Gonzaga’s last 25 games, the Bulldogs have won by at least 10 points. Creighton lost only two games all season by double digits. One of those was to Big East regular season champion Villanova and the other was in the Big East Conference championship game to Georgetown.

As mentioned, the Bluejays were an underdog just three times all season. Twice they were giving points to Villanova in Big East play and they were a three-point underdog in an early season game against Kansas. 

They lost to the Jayhawks but did cover losing by one 73-72. They also beat Villanova once giving the Bluejays a 2-1 ATS record in games as an underdog.

The problem facing Creighton in Sunday’s game is they are simply outmatched. Marcus Zegarowski is a great player who averages 15.7 points a game, but the Bluejays are just not as deep as Gonzaga.

Corey Kispert leads the West’s No. 1 seed with 19.2 points per game. The 6-foot-10-inch Drew Timme adds 18.8 a game. Freshman point guard Jalen Suggs scores 14.3 a game and Joel Ajayi, another NBA-ready starter, averages 11.9.

This is the first trip to the Sweet 16 for Creighton in 47 years. Gonzaga has won eight of its last nine games against Big East teams. It’s too bad that the Bluejays season will end with a double-digit loss.

NCAAB Free Pick:  GONZAGA -13

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