Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Seton Hall Pirates Betting Odds, March Madness Pick

The Gonzaga Bulldogs' 17-season NCAA tournament streak includes 14 opening-round victories. The Zags are also 7-0 straight up and 4-3 against the spread over their previous seven Big Dance openers. Gonzaga shoots to extend that run of first-round success when it battles resurgent Seton Hall in a No. 6 vs. No. 11 NCAA tournament bout Thursday evening in Denver.

Point spread: The Bulldogs opened as one-point favorites; the total was 142.5, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark. (Line updates and matchup report)

March Madness pick, via Odds Shark computer: 76.5-71.4 Bulldogs

Why pick Gonzaga to cover the spread

The Zags' NCAA tournament streak appeared in jeopardy heading into the West Coast Conference tournament, but they removed any doubt by winning three games in four days, knocking off top-seeded St. Mary's in the title contest to qualify for the NCAA tournament for the 18th straight season.

Gonzaga runs in streaks, having won seven in a row back around the turn of the year, six in a row into February and now, five in a row, heading into the Dance. The Zags are also one of the best shooting teams in the country, hitting at 49 percent from the floor, 38 percent from three-point land and 76 percent from the free-throw line, which is great for a college team.

And with 6'10" Kyle Wiltger and 6'11" Domantas Sabonis, Gonzaga should be able to hold its own on the boards.

Why pick Seton Hall to cover the spread

Not much was expected out of this young team this season, but it started 12-2. It had a win over Wichita State, finished 9-2, with wins over Providence and Xavier, then won three games in three days, including an 87-83 upset of Xavier and a 69-67 thriller over top-seeded Villanova in the championship game, to win the Big East tournament, earning its first Dance bid since 2006.

So the Pirates come in as one of the hotter teams in the country. On the season, Seton Hall is shooting 45 percent from the field, while holding opponents to just 40 percent shooting. It's also doing a great job on the boards. If they keep their poise and limit the turnovers, the Pirates will win this game.

Smart betting pick

Seton Hall is 6-5 SU against teams that made the NCAA tournament this season and a shiny 9-2 ATS; Gonzaga is just 1-2 SU and 0-2-1 ATS in that department and hasn't even played a tournament qualifier since December. The Pirates are a tough, battle-tested crew, despite their youth, and should win this game outright.

March Madness betting trends

The total has gone over in five of Seton Hall's last six games.

Seton Hall is 9-2 SU in its last 11 games against teams with winning records.

Gonzaga is 14-3 SU in its last 17 first-round games.

Seton Hall went 12-2 ATS and 9-5 SU as an underdog this season.

All point spread and lines data courtesy of Odds Shark, and all quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates and get the free odds tracker app for iOS or Android.