The 2024-25 men's college basketball season is finally here. Of the nearly 200 games scheduled for Monday, a top-10 showdown between No. 6 Gonzaga and No. 8 Baylor is the main event of opening day.

The Bulldogs returned six of their top seven scorers and 10 total players from last season's 27-8 squad after their ninth straight Sweet 16 appearance. Senior guards Ryan Nembhard and Nolan Hickman return to the backcourt, while 6-foot-2 senior Ben Gregg and 6-foot-1 redshirt senior Graham Ike are also back to man the frontcourt.

Nembhard and Ike were placed on some notable preseason watch lists ahead of their respective final college basketball seasons. Both made the 2025 Naismith Trophy watch list and were named inaugural candidates for the Bob Cousy Award (Nembhard) and Karl Malone Award (Ike). Michael Ajayi became the third Zag to be named to a preseason list as he will compete for the Julius Erving Award after leading the West Coast Conference in scoring last season.

Fans got their first glimpse of Mark Few's revamped team in two friendly matches before the start of the regular season on Monday. Gonzaga lost to USC 96-93 in its first exhibition game in Palm Desert, Calif., before defeating NAIA foe Warner Pacific with a 57-point win last week at McCarthey Athletic Center. While the results are not counted in the win-loss column, the games gave Few and the coaching staff a chance to play around with different substitutions and five-a-side combinations on the field.

On the other hand, Scott Drew and the Bears are looking to replace four of their five starters from last season's 24-11 team with a plethora of young talent and experienced transfer players. One-and-done prospect, 6-foot-2 freshman VJ Edgecombe headlines a star-studded recruiting class that is ranked No. 6 in the country according to 247Sports.

Drew added two fifth-year seniors with Final Four experience, 6-foot-1 guard Jeremy Roach (Duke) and 6-foot-1 forward Norchad Omier. Both were selected to the All-Big 12 preseason second team.

The Bulldogs are 5.5-point favorites over the Bears in the betting markets after the odds shifted late last week. Gonzaga was the 2.5-point favorite for Monday's game after its second and final exhibition game, although it appears the market is betting even more heavily on the Zags in the final hours before the game.

Here are the latest betting odds for Monday night's Gonzaga men's basketball matchup against Baylor.

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

No. 6 Gonzaga vs. No. 8 Baylor Betting Odds, TV Channel

Spread: Gonzaga -5.5 (-115)

Over/Under: 157.5 (-115)

Playtime: Monday, November 4 at 8:30 p.m. PST/11:30 p.m. ET

TV channels: ESPN2

MORE GONZAGA NEWS & ANALYSIS

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Continue to follow our Gonzaga coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter.