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The Gonzaga Bulldogs and McNeese State Cowboys face off in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Basketball Tournament. The two teams have combined for a 55-10 record this season, even in a year where Gonzaga has "struggled" compared to past years. Although McNeese may not be a team you recognize, their coach Will Wade certainly is. Wade worked his way up from a grad assistant at Clemson to the head position at LSU by the age of 34 before multiple recruiting and bribery allegations got him fired from his position. Now back with McNeese State and running the same style of play that has found him success at every stop he's been, the Cowboys are as dangerous as ever. With Gonzaga also coming in as winners of 14 of their last 16 games, this Gonzaga vs McNeese State prediction will be a must-watch game.

Below, we will preview this NCAA Tournament college basketball game, giving a Gonzaga vs McNeese State prediction and other March Madness expert picks. Which school will win and keep their hopes of winning the championship trophy alive?

Gonzaga vs McNeese State Prediction and Preview

2024 NCAA Tournament
No. 5 Gonzaga Bulldogs (25-7) vs. No. 12 McNeese State Cowboys (30-3)
Date: Thursday, March 21, 2024
Time: 7:25 PM EST
Venue: Delta Center — Salt Lake City, UT
Coverage: TBS

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Who is Favored to Win?

As of Monday, the Gonzaga Bulldogs are favored by 6.5 points over the McNeese State Cowboys. While Gonzaga is a more well-known squad, some think the Cowboys could pull off a first-round upset in the NCAA Tournament.

Photo byClutchPoints

Gonzaga vs McNeese State College Basketball Trends

• Gonzaga is 11-5 in non-conference college basketball games this season.
• McNeese State is 13-2 in non-conference college basketball games this season.
• The OVER is 15-16 in Gonzaga basketball games this season.
• The OVER is 17-12 in McNeese State basketball games this season.
• Gonzaga is 10-3 in NCAA Tournament games since 2020.
• McNeese State is 0-2 in NCAA Tournament games since in school history.

Gonzaga vs McNeese State Prediction

Although Gonzaga's record and lack of either a WCC regular season or tournament championship are a step down from years past, this team is still very good. The Bulldogs may have seven losses this year, but four of those came against Purdue, UConn and Saint Mary's. Four players average double figures this year and junior guard Ryan Nembhard can do a little bit of everything, averaging 13 points, four rebounds and nearly seven assists per game.

Historically, the main issue with mid-majors in the NCAA Tournament is that they either have one incredible scorer or solid scoring depth, but rarely do they have both. In the case of the Cowboys, they do have both as four players average double figures while guard Shahada Wells averages almost 18 points per game.

Both of these teams are probably better than their seeds indicate. Gonzaga basketball has flown under the radar all season and McNeese State is eighth in the country in three-point shooting. Usually, it's hard to predict whether or not a team's shooting will continue to be effective, but the way McNeese shoots from deep makes it look like this game will be a high-scoring chess match between two high-IQ coaches. With that in mind, Mark Few hasn't lost in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament since 2014 so he deserves the benefit of the doubt. For our Gonzaga vs McNeese State prediction, we are picking the Gonzaga Bulldogs to win and move on in the NCAA Tournament.