I think Gonzaga is a legitimate national title contender this season.

It’s rare to see this much returning production for a powerhouse program in the transfer portal era, but Mark Few returns more than 80% of last year’s minutes.

Meanwhile, Baylor lost three starters to the NBA draft and will once again turn its backcourt around. Still, the Bears have offensive talent.

It’s the defensive side of the ball where things get tricky for Waco.

Read on for my Baylor vs. Gonzaga predictions and my college basketball picks for this monstrous opening night.

Baylor vs. Gonzaga Odds

Prediction Baylor vs. Gonzaga

(11:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

The Bears run a spread pick-and-roll offense based on athletic guard play and elite shooting.

This schedule will run without any problems.

Five-star recruit VJ Edgecombe should be the next freshman phenom in Waco as he is a legitimate offensive option who will dominate on ball screens.

Returning wings Jayden Nunn and Langston Love each shot over 44% from deep last year, and head coach Scott Drew brought two elite inside-out weapons out of the portal in Jeremy Roach (43% vs. 3 last year with Duke) and Norchad Omier (35% compared to 3 last year with Miami).

The offense should play Gonzaga, as I expect the Bulldogs’ ball coverage to decline after the team lost superstar defenseman Anton Watson to graduation this offseason.

Conversely, Baylor’s defense has fallen off a cliff in recent seasons as Drew’s patented no-middle scheme has lost its fastball.

The Bears’ interior defense was abhorrent last year (52% 2-point shooting allowed, 257th nationally), and their transition defense was similarly leaky (1.09 PPP allowed, 20th percentile).

That doesn’t bode well for the Zags, who relentlessly press the rim in transition.

And again, I don’t expect a drop in production with all that returning production.

Graham Ike is among the best scoring big men in the country, Ben Gregg is a matchup problem in the frontcourt and the wing corps is deep and explosive (especially with Pepperdine transfer Michael Ajayi and Arkansas transfer Khalif Battle in the mix).

Betting on college basketball?

Baylor vs. Gonzaga pick

Ultimately, I expect a fast-paced, high-scoring affair. Both high-powered offenses have clear and easy routes to points against opposing defenses.

Choose: Over 156.5 (-110, DraftKings)

Why trust New York Post betting

Tanner McGrath has been a professional sports handicapper since 2018. He specializes in college sports and baseball and is a diehard fan of the Vermont Catamounts, the Miami Marlins and every underdog in the house. He found himself on the wrong end of the Miami Miracle in 2018, but made amends four years later by hitting a 40/1 long shot over Sandy Alcantara to win the NL Cy Young.