No. 8 Gonzaga vs. No. 18 UConn Prediction & College Basketball Odds

The marquee matchup of Saturday’s college basketball slate will be a showdown between No. 8 Gonzaga (7-2) and No. 18 UConn (7-3) at 8 p.m. ET inside Madison Square Garden.

The Huskies, who have won back-to-back national titles, have rebounded from their 0-3 showing in the Maui Invitational. They enter this weekend’s battle with momentum following wins over Baylor and Texas.

Gonzaga is coming off a 90-89 overtime loss to Kentucky last Saturday. Both of the Bulldogs’ losses have come in overtime.

Here is a look at the latest Gonzaga vs. UConn college basketball odds and my prediction for Saturday’s showdown.

Gonzaga vs. UConn College Basketball Odds, Dec. 14

• Projected point spread: Gonzaga -4
• Projected total: 156

While odds for this matchup aren’t yet available at the BetMGM online sportsbook, KenPom projects an 80-76 win for the Bulldogs. That would make Gonzaga a four-point favorite with an over/under of 156.

I’ll update these odds when they become available, but let’s use this projection as a guideline for what to expect when the market is released.

Gonzaga vs. UConn Prediction – Saturday, Dec. 14

Based on KenPom’s projection, my Gonzaga vs. UConn college basketball prediction would be to lay the points with the Bulldogs in a bounce-back spot for Mark Few’s squad.

KenPom’s projections respect Dan Hurley’s Huskies more than the other college basketball models. Bart Torvik projects a six-point victory for UConn, while Evan Miya forecasts an 8.9-point difference on a neutral site.

Gonzaga should have no problem scoring against UConn on Saturday. The Bulldogs rank No. 2 in adjusted offensive efficiency, while the Huskies are 91st on defense and 325th in 3-point defense.

The Huskies have been better since their poor showing in Feast Week, but I’m willing to back the better team in this marquee matchup.

Prediction: Gonzaga -4