The Gonzaga Bulldogs take on the Kentucky Wildcats in Nashville, TN. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Gonzaga is favored by -3.5 points on the spread with a moneyline of -190. The total is set at 157.5 points.
Here are my Gonzaga vs. Kentucky predictions and college basketball picks for December 5, 2025.
Gonzaga vs Kentucky Prediction
My Pick: Gonzaga -3.5 (Play to -5)
My Gonzaga vs Kentucky best bet is on the Bulldogs to cover the spread. For all of your college basketball bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NCAAB odds page.
Gonzaga vs. Kentucky Odds
| Gonzaga Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3.5 -110 | 157.5 -110o / 110u | -190 |
| Kentucky Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3.5 -110 | 157.5 -110o / 110u | +160 |
- Gonzaga vs Kentucky spread: Gonzaga -3.5
- Gonzaga vs Kentucky over/under: 157.5 points
- Gonzaga vs Kentucky moneyline: Gonzaga -190, Kentucky +160
Gonzaga vs Kentucky College Basketball Betting Preview
Gonzaga Basketball
All it took was one loss (albeit a 40-point one) to drop Gonzaga from first in KenPom to fifth. The Zags took a total beatdown from Michigan, akin to the ones they've given others all season. Gonzaga won its other seven games by double-digits.
I'm all in on Gonzaga's defense. The way that unit flies around and communicates defensively is something that'll carry this team to a top-10 ranking all season. They rank eighth in KenPom's defensive efficiency, while forcing turnovers at a 21% clip and holding teams to 47% on 2s and 27% on 3s.
They also have terrific positional length. Each of their starters is 6-foot-3 or taller and three of them are 6-foot-7 or taller. The bench has two stud defensive weapons in Jalen Warley and Emmanuel Innocenti to insert into the lineup when the Zags need a stop.
On offense, Gonzaga wants to feed Graham Ike and Braden Huff all game. Huff leads Gonzaga with 15.8 points per game and he's shooting 62% from the field. Ike is just behind him with 15 points on 48% shooting — the dip in efficiency is a result of Ike shooting more jumpers this year.
Speaking of jumpers, that's the main problem for Gonzaga. It starts with three mediocre shooters (Ike, Huff and Tyon Grant-Foster), which leads to the Zags shooting 32% from deep.
The shooting has to come from Mario Saint-Supery, who's hitting 45% from deep, and Adam Miller, who's at 30%. Miller is the real key here. He's streaky, but he can get rolling in a hurry.
Kentucky Basketball
Kentucky had a ton of hype entering the season, with heavy NIL pockets funding the program. That hype has turned into a state of worry, with Mark Pope dropping concerning quotes, and the Wildcats have looked worse than the three top-25 squads they played.
Is this the game the Wildcats bounce back in? Call me skeptical. Kentucky is still down two — if not three starters. Point guard Jaland Lowe is dealing with a shoulder issue, defensive anchor Jayden Quaintance is recovering from an Achilles' tear and Mo Dioubate missed the UNC game this week.
I'd feel differently about this game if Lowe were healthy. He'd be the ideal guard to calm things down against the ball-pressure and ball-screen blitzing the Zags offer. Without him, the Wildcats will rely on a group of Collin Chandler, Otega Oweh and Denzel Aberdeen to initiate offense. Reports that Lowe practiced in full on Thursday is promising. But how healthy will Lowe be if he plays? We'll see.
Stud Gonzaga defender Grant-Foster will be draped on Oweh. The 6-foot-7 frame and terrific footwork TGF has should limit the Wildcats' best player.
Additionally, Pope has had to stray away from his typical high-volume 3-point offenses. In the loss to North Carolina, the Wildcats went 1-of-13 from 3 and went over 11 minutes without scoring. The Heels' defense is 17 spots worse than Gonzaga’s in KenPom.
So, if the Wildcats couldn’t score on UNC, I don’t know how Kentucky scores on the Zags.
Defense is the calling card for the Wildcats this season, ranking 13th in defensive efficiency. However, they struggled to stop Michigan State, Louisville and North Carolina, allowing 1.05 PPP or more in each contest.
Gonzaga vs. Kentucky Betting Analysis
I'd be surprised if Kentucky can hang with Gonzaga.
I'd guess the loss to Michigan has soured some people on Gonzaga. That's fine, but it likely gives us a better number for the Bulldogs here.
I'm out on Kentucky until it's healthy. I don't understand the analytics loving the Wildcats still, and I'll gladly fade them until the numbers catch up.
My Pick: Gonzaga -3.5 (Play to -5)
