Gonzaga vs. West Virginia: Betting odds, preview for men's college basketball game

The Bulldogs open as double-digit favorites over the Mountaineers in their Battle 4 Atlantis matchup

Cole Forsman | 3 Hours Ago

Gonzaga senior guard Khalif Battle. / Photo by Erik Smith, Myk Crawford

In this story:

The No. 3 Gonzaga Bulldogs meet the West Virginia Mountaineers in The Bahamas on Wednesday to tip off the 2024 Battle 4 Atlantis event from Imperial Arena on Paradise Island.

The Zags (5-0) begin a stretch of three games in as many days after putting together their best defensive performance on the season in an 84-41 victory over Long Beach State in Spokane last week. Five players scored in double figures for Mark Few, led by Graham Ike and Khalif Battle at 15 points apiece, though their head coach couldn't help but praise the team's effort on the other end of the floor. Gonzaga held the Beach to 17-of-54 (31.5%) from the field and 2-of-20 (10%) from 3-point range.

While so much attention is drawn to what the Bulldogs do on offense, they also rank top 20 in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency rating, per KenPom.com.

"I think it's just been a big emphasis for us," senior guard Ryan Nembhard said of the team's focus on defense. "We've been trying to take that side of the ball very seriously and I think guys are starting to make plays."

On the other side, the Zags can expect the Mountaineers (3-1) to use their size and length to their advantage.

"Pressure defense, very athletic and handsy and good rim protection," Few said in regard to what the Zags can expect from West Virginia. "And then very opportunistic on the offensive end. They got a great offensive player in [Tucker] DeVries, but they got some really nice shooters, so, kind of all the above."

The 6-foot-7 DeVries, who's the son of Mountaineers head coach Darian DeVries, is second on the team with 13.5 points and 2.5 steals per game. The Drake transfer excels at disrupting passing lanes and can knock down 3-pointers (11-of-27, 40.7% this season). Last season, DeVries scored more than 21 points per game to take home his second Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year award.

Javon Small, a 6-foot-3 senior who transferred from Oklahoma State, paces West Virginia at 15.5 points per outing and ranks top 10 in the nation with 3.0 steals. As his head coach pointed out following the Iona game last week, Small does a little bit of everything for the Mountaineers. He led the way in the 86-43 win over the Gaels with 23 points, five rebounds, five assists, four steals and one block.

Small will likely be tasked with defending senior guard Ryan Nembhard, which hasn't been an easy task for anyone thus far this season. Nembhard ranks top 10 in total assists (47), assists per game (9.4) and assist-to-turnover ratio (47 to six, 7.83) in the country. He's 7-of-16 (43.8%) from 3-point range and has excelled at getting to the charity stripe, where he's 18-of-21 (85.7%) from through five games.

Gonzaga opens as the betting favorite to win the Battle 4 Atlantis event at +100 odds, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The Zags haven’t been crowned champion of a multi-team event since the 2018 Maui Invitational, though historically they’ve been well prepared for Feast Week. Gonzaga is 46-13 under Few in events during the week of Thanksgiving and 35-7 in the last 10 Thanksgiving week events. The Bulldogs have also won seven tournaments during the week of Thanksgiving and played in 11 of the 17 tournament championship games.

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook