Betting odds, point spread for Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. UConn Huskies men's college basketball game

Saturday's highly-anticipated showdown with the UConn Huskies at Madison Square Garden in New York City will most certainly have the atmosphere of a true road game for the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

UConn has played more games at the “World’s Most Famous Arena” than any other venue aside from its home courts in Connecticut, winning its last seven games at the venue between the 2024 Big East Tournament and the 2023-24 regular season. The Huskies fanbase always shows up to the arena in full force when their team is taking the floor, and Mark Few expects nothing less than a packed house when he and the Zags roll into town.

“Obviously going all the way across the country and basically playing a home game for [UConn],” Few said of traveling to play the Huskies in New York after Gonzaga’s overtime loss to Kentucky at Climate Pledge Arena on Saturday. “So it’ll be another great environment like this was, I mean this did feel like a Sweet 16 or Elite Eight game.”

Despite the pro-Huskies crowd that awaits them Saturday, the Bulldogs (7-2) enter the matchup as a slight 3.5-point favorite over the Huskies (7-3), according to the opening line set by FanDuel Sportsbook. Gonzaga has been favored in all nine nonconference games this season and has a 6-3 record against the spread to show for it. UConn, meanwhile, is the underdog for just the third time since the start of the 2023-24 campaign.

The Zags enter Saturday's top 20 showdown looking to rebound from a 90-89 overtime loss to Kentucky in Seattle last week. Despite leading by as many as 18 points behind a dominant first half from Graham Ike, the Bulldogs struggled to find the bottom of the net when it mattered most and lost all momentum after a 16-2 scoring run from the Wildcats flipped the game on its head in the second half. Heading into the matchup, Gonzaga won 175 games when leading by 10 or more points at halftime — it was the longest active streak in Division I.

Ike led all scorers with 28 points to go with 11 rebounds, marking his second consecutive double-double of his senior season. The 6-foot-9 forward paces Gonzaga at 15.3 points and 7.0 boards per game. Senior guard Ryan Nembhard helms the No. 3 scoring offense in the country from the point guard position, as he's averaging 10.9 points and a nation-best 10.7 assists through the team’s first nine games.

On the other side, UConn is set to return to its home away from home on Saturday following back-to-back victories over Big 12 schools. The Huskies bounced back from a disastrous 0-3 showing at the Maui Invitational with an impressive 76-72 win over Baylor without Alex Karaban. The 6-foot-8 redshirt junior returned for the Huskies’ 76-65 victory over the Longhorns in Austin, Texas, last Sunday, scoring 21 points in 40 minutes played.

The eighth all-time meeting between these two programs is also a meeting two of the five most efficient offenses in the country. The Bulldogs rank No. 2 in offensive efficiency, while the Huskies aren't far behind at No. 4. Something to consider in regard to the over/under, which is set at 151.5 points.

The "over" has hit in seven of Gonzaga's nine games this season; the point total has gone over in five of UConn's last six outings.

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook