Gonzaga Nation

Betting odds, spread for Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Baylor Bears college basketball season opener

The Bulldogs tip off the 2024-25 regular season with a top-10 showdown against the Bears

Cole Forsman

Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Nolan Hickman (11) celebrates a basket during the second half of their exhibition game at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024.
Gonzaga Bulldogs guard Nolan Hickman (11) celebrates a basket during the second half of their exhibition game at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. / Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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The 2024-25 men's college basketball season has finally arrived. Of the nearly 200 games scheduled on Monday, a top-10 showdown between No. 6 Gonzaga and No. 8 Baylor takes the cake as the main event of opening day.

The Bulldogs, coming off their ninth straight Sweet 16 appearance, brought back six of their top seven scorers and 10 players overall from last season's 27-8 squad. Senior guards Ryan Nembhard and Nolan Hickman return to the backcourt, while 6-foot-10 senior Ben Gregg and 6-foot-9 redshirt senior Graham Ike are back as well to man the frontcourt.

Nembhard and Ike were tabbed to some notable preseason watch lists ahead of their respective final seasons of college basketball. Both made the 2025 Naismith Trophy watch list and were named early contenders for the Bob Cousy Award (Nembhard) and the Karl Malone Award (Ike). Michael Ajayi was the third Zag to be tabbed to a preseason list, as he'll contend for the Julius Erving Award after leading the West Coast Conference in scoring last season.

Fans got early glimpses of Mark Few's revamped squad in the form of two exhibition games prior to Monday's regular season tip-off. Gonzaga lost to USC, 96-93, in Palm Desert, California, in its first friendly before taking down NAIA-foe Warner Pacific in a 57-point victory last week at the McCarthey Athletic Center. While the results don't count in the win-loss column, the games did provide Few and the coaching staff an opportunity to play around with different substitutions and five-man combinations on the floor.

On the other side, Scott Drew and the Bears look to replace four of their five starters from last season's 24-11 team with an abundance of young talent and experienced transfer players. Potential one-and-done prospect, 6-foot-5 freshman VJ Edgecombe, headlines a star-studded recruiting class that ranked No. 6 in the country according to 247Sports.

Drew added a pair of fifth-years who boast Final Four experience in 6-foot-2 guard Jeremy Roach (Duke) and 6-foot-7 forward Norchad Omier. Both were voted to the preseason All-Big-12 second team.

The Bulldogs are 5.5-point favorites over the Bears in the betting markets after the line shifted from where it was late last week. Gonzaga was 2.5-point favorites for Monday's game following its second and final exhibition game, though it appears the market is leaning on the Zags even more in the final hours leading up to tip-off.

Here are the latest betting odds for Gonzaga men's basketball matchup against Baylor on Monday night.

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

No. 6 Gonzaga vs. No. 8 Baylor Betting Odds, TV Channel

Spread: Gonzaga -5.5 (-115)

Over/Under: 157.5 (-115)

Game time: Monday, Nov. 4 at 8:30 p.m. PST/11:30 p.m. ET

TV Channel: ESPN2

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Cole Forsman
COLE FORSMAN

Cole Forsman is a reporter for Gonzaga Bulldogs On SI. Cole holds a degree in Journalism and Sports Management from Gonzaga University.

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