North Dakota State Bison vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs Odds, March Madness Analysis, Pick

Gonzaga is 4-1 against the spread in its last five NCAA tournament round-of-64 games, but none of those games involved a number as high as the one the Zags will face when they take on North Dakota State in the South Region's No. 2 vs. No. 15 game Friday night in Seattle.

Opening spread

The Bulldogs opened as 17-point favorites (compare lines and consensus on the Odds Shark matchup report).

Why pick North Dakota State to cover the spread

The Bison tied for first place in the Summit League this season at 12-4 and then won the conference tournament, nipping regular-season co-champion South Dakota State in the championship game 57-56 and reaching the NCAA tournament for the second straight season. North Dakota State enters the Big Dance on a 10-2 run, with three covers in a row.

Earlier this season, the Bison challenged themselves with road games at Texas and Iowa and later beat Hampton, this year's MEAC champion, on a neutral court. So North Dakota State is 1-2 both straight up and against the spread in games against tournament qualifiers this season.

Last March, the Bison, as a No. 12 seed, upset fifth-seeded Oklahoma 80-75 in overtime in the opening round of the NCAA tournament before going on to lose to San Diego State. So they know a little something about pulling surprises at the Big Dance.

Why pick Gonzaga to cover the spread

The Zags just keep zingin' along, winning another regular-season WCC title and another WCC tournament and earning a No. 2 seed for the Big Dance, their 17th appearance in a row.

Gonzaga won seven in a row to start this season, lost in overtime at Arizona, and then won 22 more in a row, securing the league title and the top seed for the conference tournament. The Bulldogs then lost their regular-season finale to BYU, but that game didn't mean much. The Zags then exacted revenge on the Cougars with a 91-75 victory in the conference tournament championship game.

With victories this season over SMU (the dual champ in the AAC), Georgia, St. John's, UCLA and Texas Southern (dual champs in the SWAC) and two over Brigham Young, Gonzaga is 7-2 SU and 5-2-1 ATS against teams that made the tournament. The Zags have won 10 games this season by 20 points or more. If they win by 20 Friday, they'll cover.

Smart betting pick

That spread might seem a bit much, but North Dakota State lost by 35 against Texas this season and by 31 against Iowa. And Gonzaga is better than both those teams. So the smart money here resides with the boys from Spokane, giving the points.

Power rankings (per Odds Shark power ranks)

• North Dakota State Bison: No. 49
• Gonzaga Bulldogs: No. 12

March Madness betting trends

• Gonzaga is 25-1 SU in its past 26 games.
• North Dakota State went 10-2 SU to end the season.
• Gonzaga is 4-1 ATS in its past five round-of-64 games.

Note: All spread and betting-line data powered by Odds Shark. Download the free Lines and Bet Tracker app in the Apple Store and on Google Play.