NCAAB Odds, Pick for Yale vs Gonzaga

Don't judge this book by its cover. This is not a cupcake opening game for the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Though they'll kick off the season in the comfy confines of the Kennel in Spokane, the Zags will welcome in a very plucky opponent, the Yale Bulldogs. A re-tooled Gonzaga team can't coast to a victory over the reigning Ivy League regular season champions.

Let's break down Yale vs. Gonzaga with a pick and prediction, including a college basketball betting guide for Friday, Nov. 10.

Yale enters this season as the favorite to win the Ivy League after likely spending the entire offseason stewing about Princeton's Sweet 16 run last season.  The Bulldogs swept Princeton in the regular season last year, closing the Ivy League calendar winning nine of their last 10 games.

The Ivy League Tournament, however, is hosted on a rotating basis by all eight schools in the conference. Last season just happened to be Princeton's turn. To earn a bid to the Big Dance, the Bulldogs had to beat Princeton a third time and had to do so on the road.

Several key members of last year's team are back, most notably All Ivy-Leaguer Matt Knowling and Ivy Defensive Player of the Year Bez Mbeng. They're joined by seniors August Mahoney and John Poulakidas, who each averaged double figures scoring last season.

That foursome makes for one of the best perimeter situations in all of mid-major college hoops, but size could be an issue. Head coach James Jones has options on the interior, yet none have flashed in prior seasons.

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Mark Few was one of the first elite college basketball coaches to use transfers as a weapon, long before there was a portal, when those changing schools had to sit for a season. His program made stars out of Dan Dickau, Kyle Wiltjer, Branden Clarke and Nigel Williams-Goss, among others.

For the first time, however, the homegrown talent pool appeared a little dry following last season's departures. Losing all-everything big man Drew Timme set the program back, but Julian Strawther and Rasir Bolton will also be missed.

For the first time in the modern era, Few needed to use the portal, not as a development tool for a future season, but as a get-rich-quick scheme this year.

With that pressure on, Few did fairly well.

He used familial connections to nab Creighton point guard Ryan Nembhard, younger brother of former Gonzaga transfer Andrew Nembhard. When Andrew came to Spokane from Florida, Few and his staff molded him from an exciting, but turnover prone, youngster into one of the steadiest guards in the nation.

Ryan was excellent for Creighton last season, but has room to blossom into a top-tier floor general.

He'll have help from a perfect pick-and-roll partner in Few's other portal addition, former Wyoming big man Graham Ike. He missed last season due to injury, but he posted 20 and 10 per night for the Cowboys in 2021-22. Freed up in Few's fast-tempo system, Ike's scoring numbers could really pop.

If there's an issue for the Zags, it's depth. Just this week, the Zags lost a third transfer — Big Sky Player of the Year Steele Venters — to a season-ending injury.

For the first time in years, Few is expecting role player production from his freshman class. These are not Chet Holmgren or Jalen Suggs types, expected to jump to the NBA in a year. Four-star recruit Dusty Stromer or redshirt freshman Braden Huff will need to step in and contribute.

This is an atypical scheduling choice from Few. Except for the outlier COVID-affected 2020-21 season, the Zags haven't opened the season with a top-150 KenPom opponent since 2004, Adam Morrison's freshman year.

It makes for an interesting situation in Spokane, where Few's teams have typically entered the season among the most talented in the nation over the last several years.

Because the Zags wanted a shot at a high seed in March, Few loaded up on tough matchups in the non-conference in recent seasons and has had the talent and continuity to play well in those games.

This year, they lack the continuity and potentially the talent to stay among the truly elite teams atop the rankings, at least early in the season.

By the time conference play rolls around, some of the younger Zags may be ready for primetime. But I'm skeptical that they're ready to do so this quickly, especially in the aftershock of Venters injury news this week.

I like Yale to put up a fight, with Mbeng really capable of making life difficult for Nembhard. I'll take Yale getting 13.5 or better.

Pick: Yale +13.5 or Better

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