Gonzaga vs. Kennesaw State prediction, odds, spread, time: 2026 NCAA Tournament picks from proven model

The No. 3 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs will try to kickstart another deep NCAA Tournament run when they face the No. 14 seed Kennesaw State owls in the first round of the Big Dance on Thursday night. Gonzaga won the West Coast Conference regular season and tournament titles in its final season in the conference. Kennesaw State had a mediocre regular season, but it won the Conference USA Tournament title to earn an automatic bid. These schools are meeting for the first time ever.  

Tipoff from the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., is at 10 p.m. ET. The Bulldogs are 20.5-point favorites in the latest Gonzaga vs. Kennesaw State odds, with the over/under at 152.5, a 5-point drop since opening at 157.5. The Zags are at -5000 on the money line (risk $5,000 to win $100). Before making any Kennesaw State vs. Gonzaga picks, check out the men’s college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times. It entered the 2026 NCAA Tournament on a sizzling 11-1 run on its top-rated over/under college basketball picks dating back to last season, and is on a 28-22 run on top-rated CBB side picks. Anyone following its college basketball betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen strong returns.

Now, the model has simulated Gonzaga vs. Kennesaw State 10,000 times and just revealed its coveted men’s college basketball picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several men’s college basketball odds and men’s college basketball betting lines for Kennesaw State vs. Gonzaga:

Top Gonzaga vs. Kennesaw State predictions

After 10,000 simulations of Gonzaga vs. Kennesaw State, SportsLine’s model is going Over on the total (152.5 points). Gonzaga’s Graham Ike has scored the most career points (2,531) of any active player, and he has scored 17.7 points per game in six career NCAA Tournament games. He is averaging 23.4 points across his last 13 games, and the model has him finishing with 25.4 points in this matchup. 

Teammate Braden Huff is sidelined with a knee injury, but the model has guard Tyon Grant-Foster scoring 15.2 points. Kennesaw State led Conference USA in scoring (83.4) and second-chance points per game (14.7) this season. The model has these teams combining for 159 points, as the Over hits in 61.8% of simulations.   

How to make Gonzaga vs. Kennesaw State picks

The model also says one side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time. You can only see that pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Gonzaga vs. Kennesaw State, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to back, all from the advanced model that has simulated this game 10,000 times, and find out.