Gonzaga Bulldogs and Kennesaw State Owls play in the first round of NCAA Tournament

The No. 12 Gonzaga Bulldogs and Kennesaw State Owls meet in the NCAA Tournament opening round. The teams square off Thursday for the first time this season. Gonzaga is 18-2 against the WCC, and Kennesaw State is 13-10 against the CUSA.

NCAA Tournament Play!

Kennesaw State Owls (21-13, 13-10 CUSA) vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs (30-3, 18-2 WCC)

Portland, Oregon; Thursday, 10 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Bulldogs -21.5; over/under is 154.5

BOTTOM LINE: No. 12 Gonzaga plays in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Kennesaw State.

The Bulldogs have gone 18-2 against WCC teams, with a 12-1 record in non-conference play. Gonzaga averages 9.5 turnovers per game and is 25-2 when it has fewer turnovers than its opponents.

The Owls are 13-10 in CUSA play. Kennesaw State is sixth in the CUSA with 14.1 assists per game led by RJ Johnson averaging 3.9.

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Gonzaga makes 51.0% of its shots from the field this season, which is 9.9 percentage points higher than Kennesaw State has allowed to its opponents (41.1%). Kennesaw State averages 9.4 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.6 more made shots on average than the 7.8 per game Gonzaga allows.

TOP PERFORMERS: Graham Ike is averaging 19.7 points and 8.2 rebounds for the Bulldogs. Tyon Grant-Foster is averaging 11.3 points over the last 10 games.

Johnson is shooting 43.3% from beyond the arc with 1.7 made 3-pointers per game for the Owls, while averaging 14.4 points and 3.9 assists. Frankquon Sherman is averaging 13.4 points and 8.6 rebounds over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Bulldogs: 8-2, averaging 78.1 points, 31.4 rebounds, 18.1 assists, 7.3 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 49.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 65.0 points per game.

Owls: 7-3, averaging 78.5 points, 31.0 rebounds, 13.5 assists, 7.3 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 45.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 74.9 points.