This is not one of Mark Few's better Gonzaga teams. Good not great. UConn already has played a very tough schedule with the only loss at Kansas. Freshman five-star Stephon Castle has averaged just 14.5 minutes in two games since a return from injury but will get more run tonight. Really my only concern is that it's in Gonzaga's backyard at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. The Zags are 0-1 in the city this year but that was a true road game last week at UDub.

In last season's Elite Eight, the Huskies gave Gonzaga the business beating them by 28 on their way to a National Championship. The Huskies have won 15 of their last 16 games with their only loss coming at Allen Fieldhouse. All 15 of their wins have been by double-digits. This Gonzaga team is not like their team in recent years. They don't have a superstar as they have five different players averaging double-digits this season. The Bulldogs do most of their scoring inside the 3-point line but the Huskies have are sixth in the nation at opponent 2-pt FG PCT. The Huskies do get burned from beyond the arc, but the Bulldogs are terrible from three. This is a great matchup for the Huskies.

The last time Gonzaga played in Seattle last week, Washington beat them 78-73. They have another neutral site game there tonight, but the Zags still have the home edge which makes Connecticut a bit cheaper with the number. The Zags have been overrated going 2-4 ATS in their last six. U-Conn does everything well, shoots over 50%, and holds opponents under 40%. The last time they played each other was in the NCAA Championship game and U-Conn rolled 82-54. Connecticut to cover.

Revenge for Gonzaga after getting bounced in the Elite 8 at Las Vegas last March by a rampaging UConn. Even with some different faces involved here in December, the Huskies still look menacing, losing only a close decision at Kansas in a demanding early-season slate. The rich get richer, too, as touted frosh G Stephon Castle has recently made his debut and is hitting 55% from the floor in the early going. But a matchup that Dan Hurley didn’t have to worry about last March against the Zags now might work against him, as the Huskies could have used graduated 6-9 mincer Adama Sanogo to deal with Mark Few’s punishing 6-9 Wyo transfer PF Graham Ike (scoring a team-best 14.2 ppg). PLAY OVER

My simulations make this total 145. I'm on the Under. I will discuss further on the Early Edge podcast Friday morning.