College Basketball Picks: Baylor Bears vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs

The Gonzaga Bulldogs (11-1) own one of the nation's biggest home-court advantages in Spokane, Wash., which is important to consider when making your against-the-spread (ATS) picks on Friday night, as they host the Baylor Bears (8-3) at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Sports bettors will find that the Bulldogs are 8.5-point home favorites in the college basketball betting odds (courtesy of SBR Forum), while the total stands at 144 in the market.

Since the McCarthey Athletic Center opened during the 2004-05 campaign, Gonzaga has compiled a dominating 111-8 straight-up record, which has caused the venue to be nicknamed "The Kennel."

Let's take a closer look at this non-conference affair from a betting perspective, while offering a prediction along the way. 

Baylor Bears

The Baylor Bears are coming off an impressive 79-64 win over the BYU Cougars as seven-point home favorites last Friday, which served as their fourth consecutive ATS victory versus West Coast Conference opponents.

Sports bettors will find that the Bears are 0-2 ATS as road underdogs of 6.5 to nine points over the last two-plus seasons.

Gonzaga Bulldogs

The Gonzaga Bulldogs are the third-best shooting team in the country in terms of percentage, which has led directly to their 6-4 ATS record to start the 2012-13 college basketball season.

Sports bettors will find that the program has covered the spread in its last two opportunities as home favorites of 6.5 to nine points.

Prediction

I'm going to recommend that readers back the Gonzaga Bulldogs as one of their NCAA basketball picks on Friday night, as they've gone 5-0 ATS in their last five games versus Big 12 opponents, while the Baylor Bears are 7-19 ATS following a straight-up win.

College Basketball Pick: Gonzaga Bulldogs -8.5

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