Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Texas Longhorns – injuries, tv, odds, and more
PNWS presents what you need to know for the top-five matchup between the Gonzaga Bulldogs and Texas Longhorns.
Gonzaga basketball fans didn’t have to wait long to watch their team face a quality opponent. Saturday’s contest against number five Texas is the Zags’ second game of the season.
Who: Texas Longhorns (1-0) vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs (1-0)
Where: McCarthy Athletic Center – Spokane, WA.
When: Saturday, November 14, 2021 – 7:30 PM PST.
TV: ESPN2. Announcers: John Sciambi and Fran Frischella.
Line: Gonzaga -7.5. Over/Under: 148.5 (Odds Shark).
Injuries: Gonzaga – Out: Dominick Harris (foot). Texas: Questionable – Dylan Disu (knee).
Interesting Trends:
Since 2016, the Gonzaga Bulldogs are 165-14, including 62-3 over the last two seasons. The last time they lost at the Kennel was January 18, 2018.
Texas won six of their last seven, which includes last season’s Big-12 Tournament. Their opening round, one-point loss in the tournament to Abeline Christian, was a big surprise.
The under might be a good play. Gonzaga has gone under in four of the last five while Texas went under in four of six.
Outlook
One game isn’t much to go on, especially when it’s a “cannon fodder” game. There are still a few things that stand out. First of all, the Gonzaga Bulldogs have one of their most complete teams. They do a little bit of everything on both ends of the court. The Zags are also deep. Head coach Mark Few has a legit nine-man rotation (and, if necessary, 10 with Ben Gregg).
With all the hype about freshman center Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga has a veteran team. Forward Drew Timme is an outstanding low post player, maybe the best in the country, and he has point guard Andrew Nembhard to get him the ball. When either big man is out, they have Julian Strawther to crash the boards.
In addition to Nembhard in the backcourt, the Bulldogs have two other heralded freshmen, Hunter Sallis and Nolan Hickman. Then there is Iowa State transfer Rasir Bolton who can light it up from the wing.
Texas, like, Gonzaga, lost three players from last year’s team to the NBA. That doesn’t mean the Bulldogs can underestimate them. UT returns two of their leading scorers from 2020-21, guards Andrew Jones and Courtney Ramsey. Together they averaged 26.6 points, 6.1 assists, and 7.7 rebounds per game.
Gonzaga has superior talent, but they are still meshing as a team. It should be a good game.
Related Story: “Slim Reaper” Chet Holmgren is off to a good start
We’ll have the results and our take on the game with Zags 360 later in the week.