The Gonzaga Bulldogs take on the Pepperdine Waves in Malibu, CA. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Gonzaga is favored by -28.5 points on the spread, and the total is set at 152.5 points.
Here’s my Gonzaga vs. Pepperdine prediction and college basketball picks for December 28, 2025.
Gonzaga vs Pepperdine Prediction
My Pick: Pepperdine +28.5
My Gonzaga vs Pepperdine best bet is on the Waves 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. Pepperdine Odds
| Gonzaga Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-28.5 -110 | 152.5 -110o / -110u | OFF |
| Pepperdine Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+28.5 -110 | 152.5 -110o / -110u | OFF |
- Gonzaga vs Pepperdine spread: Gonzaga -28.5
- Gonzaga vs Pepperdine over/under: 152.5 points
Gonzaga vs Pepperdine College Basketball Betting Preview
Gonzaga Basketball
Gonzaga has been a wrecking ball this season, especially against inferior competition.
The Zags have played five teams ranked outside the KenPom top 100 and have beaten them by an average of 49 points (a 55-point win against Texas Southern, a 72-point win against Southern Utah, a 51-point win against North Florida).
They rank top 10 in both offense and defense, per KenPom, and are a bona fide national title contender once again under Mark Few.
On offense, look for Gonzaga to play through Graham Ike and Braden Huff in the post when it’s not trying to run in the open floor. Ike and Huff are two of the most efficient big men in the country, and they will have the upper hand on the Pepperdine frontline.
The Waves have size and play three 6-foot-10+ guys significant minutes. They defend the post and rim fairly well despite allowing a lot of looks inside. Their issue is the defensive glass, and that’s the area in which they can be exposed against a strong rebounding Zags squad.
Pepperdine’s goal will be to slow this game down to a crawl and scrap its way to a respectable final score.
Pepperdine Basketball
Pepperdine has only played one top 100 team all season, but the Waves performed admirably, losing by just 11 at UCLA. Their results against other competition have been a mixed bag. The issue has been the offense, which ranks 295th, per KenPom, an uninspiring number against a top-10 defense.
The Waves have a couple of decent guards in Aaron Clark (formerly of Wake Forest) and Styles Phipps (formerly of Grand Canyon), and they’ll lead a ball-screen-heavy, half-court-focused attack.
Like Gonzaga, Pepperdine wants to play through its bigs on the block, and it has a few capable frontline shooters to help stretch the Gonzaga defense.
The key for Pepperdine will be finding trips to the foul line, where it ranked second nationally in free throw percentage. The Waves can get Ike in foul trouble by attacking him in the post and via pick-and-roll action.
They’ll also want to use nearly the full 30 seconds of the shot clock on each possession and sprint back on defense, eschewing the offensive glass.
Gonzaga vs. Pepperdine Betting Analysis
Gonzaga and Pepperdine square off in the WCC opener for the 79th time. The Zags have won a whopping 33 straight contests against the Waves, last losing on January 18, 2002.
Given the history and the near-30-point spread, the raw win/loss result of this game is a foregone conclusion. But that’s why we make spreads, baby.
This game is a mismatch, as the spread indicates, but history favors the Waves staying within 30 points. Over the past five years, these teams have played 10 times (five at each place).
At Gonzaga, the Bulldogs have won by an average of 32 points per game – and none of them were within 20.
At Pepperdine, however, Gonzaga’s margin of victory over that five-year span is just 16.6 points per game, with the largest win coming by 25 points and two contests staying within double digits.
This is a hold-your-nose play on Pepperdine, a team that's historically stepped up against Gonzaga at home.
Hopefully, the Zags are snoozing a bit in their WCC opener.
My Pick: Pepperdine +28.5
