Gonzaga vs. Brigham Young odds, line: 2023 college basketball picks, Jan. 12 predictions from computer model

The last time that BYU (13-6) defeated No. 8 Gonzaga (14-3) was in February of 2020, and that has been the Cougars’ only win against the Bulldogs in the last 12 meetings between the two programs. Gonzaga has won its last nine games and is tied with Saint Mary’s atop the West Coast Conference standings. BYU isn’t far behind at 3-1 in the conference, but the Zags have been dominant in league play and haven’t lost more than one WCC matchup in a season since 2015-16.

Tip-off from the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, where BYU is 8-1 this season, is set for 9:30 p.m. ET. The Bulldogs are favored by 6.5 points in the latest Brigham Young vs. Gonzaga odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the over/under is set at 153.5. Before entering any Gonzaga vs. BYU picks, you’ll want to see the college basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters Week 9 of the season 34-18 on all-top rated college basketball picks, returning more than $1,000 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Brigham Young vs. Gonzaga. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds for Gonzaga vs. Brigham Young:

Featured Game | Brigham Young Cougars vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs

What you need to know about Brigham Young

BYU won its game against the San Diego Toreros on Saturday by a conclusive 68-48 score. The Cougars’ success was spearheaded by the efforts of forward Atiki Ally Atiki, who had 12 points and forward Fousseyni Traore, who had 15 points along with five rebounds. Despite hitting just 4-of-15 3-point attempts, the Cougars shot 60.6% from the field as a team.

One thing that BYU has done well over the last five games is protect the rim, and the Cougars have averaged 3.8 blocks during that stretch. Atiki has been BYU’s most formidable defensive presence this season and averages 1.1 blocks per contest, despite primarily coming off the bench. Gonzaga scores the fifth-most points per game in the country this season (85.9 PPG), but the Cougars have held opponents to shooting just 36.1% from the field and 24.1% from beyond the 3-point line over their last five outings.

What you need to know about Gonzaga

For as strong as Gonzaga has been this season, not every win has been a blowout, which was the case in the Zags’ 81-76 win against Santa Clara on Saturday. Gonzaga relied on the efforts of guard Nolan Hickman, who had 20 points, and forward Drew Timme, who had 20 points in addition to six rebounds. Hickman did much of his work from downtown and hit 4-of-5 3-point attempts.

Over Gonzaga’s current nine-game winning streak, it has averaged 90.2 PPG and shot 53.4% from the floor. Defensively, Gonzaga has also swiped 8.1 steals per game during those nine games, and the Zags have two strong on-ball defenders. Anton Watson has started every game for the Bulldogs this season and averages 1.8 steals per contest, while Malachi Smith is right behind him at 1.2 steals per appearance.

How to make Brigham Young vs. Gonzaga picks

The model has simulated BYU vs. Gonzaga 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 60% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

Who wins Brigham Young vs. Gonzaga? And which side of the spread hits nearly 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.