Houston Is Being Disrespected With This Line

Gonzaga vs. Houston, 8:40 ET

The opening weekend of the tournament is always a fun time, but for whatever reason, it doesn't seem to get as much love as the opening two days. Perhaps it is all included in people's memories and I'm just not aware of it. Whatever the case may be, if you haven't gone out to Vegas for the Thursday/Friday games you really should. It is a blast. Games all day, great weather, fun atmosphere, and non-stop action. As we enter the official weekend, let's keep the vibes high and cash a ticket on this game between Gonzaga and Houston.

Gonzaga is not a great team. Sure, they come into today's game with a 26-8 record overall for the season, but they really don't play anyone that I think is overly impressive for the majority of their season. They opened the year with a win over Baylor (you're welcome for the cash on that one), but they also have lost to West Virginia, Kentucky, UConn (sorry I lost you some cash on this one), and UCLA. All of those games (with the exception of Baylor) came on neutral courts. In conference play, they lost to a few teams, including Saint Mary's twice. To me, that actually matters because I don't think there conference is that impressive. Sure, they have a few talented teams, but if you put almost any of them in the Big 12, Big East, Big 10, or SEC, you're probably going to have them struggle to make the tournament. Gonzaga is a good program, but this isn't a year where they have a lot of standout talent. I suppose, to their credit, they ended up winning the Conference Tournament so kudos to them (and congrats to those that tailed me on this one). The most impressive win for them might've come on Thursday, though as they took down Georgia, giving them a 21-point shellacking. 

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - MARCH 11: Khalif Battle #99 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs celebrates after dunking against the Saint Mary's Gaels late in the second half of the championship game of the West Coast Conference men's basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on March 11, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Bulldogs defeated the Gaels 58-51. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Houston, on the other hand, is one of the best teams in the country. They have a legitimate shot at winning the NCAA Tournament. The combination of defensive intensity and offensive effectiveness plays well for something like this because they are a consistent squad. The teams with inconsistent play or spikes are the ones that typically struggle to do well in tournaments because they tend to play to the opposition's game instead of their own. Houston has suffered just four losses this year. Three of them were before December when a team is most vulnerable, trying to figure things out. They lost to Auburn, one of the best teams in the country (the best if you go by the rankings committee's opinion), another to Alabama, also a clear title contender, and then two overtime losses to San Diego State and Texas Tech. The San Diego State game was surprising, but whatever I get it. They have won 14 straight games, including the Big 12 regular season and conference championship.

The line is wrong in this game guys. Houston is a significantly better team Gonzaga. Not just a little better, a significantly better team. They should be able to win this game by 10+ points. Their defense is truly elite, and their offense is going to cause Gonzaga to struggle with matchups. This might be the gift of the day. Take Houston to maul Gonzaga at -5.5. Honestly, the only scary thing about this is that Gonzaga is an inconsistent team which means they could potentially have a great game. I just don't see it happening. 

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