Saturday night features a battle of top-25 West Cast teams as the No. 15 Saint Mary’s Gaels (25-5, 14-1) take on the No. 12 Gonzaga Bulldogs (24-5, 13-2). The Bulldogs will host this one at the McCarthey Athletic Center, with tipoff scheduled for 10:00 pm ET.
The Bulldogs are the favorites in this one playing at home. They are -210 to win, while the Gaels’ moneyline sits at +172. The spread features Saint Mary’s as 4.5-point underdogs (-102), and the over/under for total points is 142.5 (-110).
Gaels Looking To Stay Atop West Coast Standings
At 14-1 in the conference, the Gaels currently sit atop the West Coast Conference. With Gonzaga just a game back, though, the Gaels could essentially put away the regular season conference championship with a win Saturday.
Saint Mary’s currently ranks 154th in the nation in scoring, averaging 71.6 points per game (67.8 on the road). Freshman guard Aidan Mahaney leads the way for the Gaels, averaging 14.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, and two assists per game.
Other contributors for Saint Mary’s include Logan Johnson (14.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists), Alex Ducas (12.3 points, four rebounds), and Mitchell Saxen (12.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.2 blocks).
Defensively, Saint Mary’s is elite. They rank fourth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 58.5 points per game (60.6 on the road).
Gonzaga Looking For Redemption
Just three weeks ago, the Gaels were able to upset Gonzaga by taking down the Bulldogs 78-70. Now playing on their own court, Gonzaga will look for some payback Saturday night.
In that loss against Saint Mary’s, Drew Timme led the way with 23 points and five rebounds. On the season, he leads the team averaging 21.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists.
As a unit, the Bulldogs rank atop the standings in scoring, averaging 86.6 points per game (91 at home).
Gonzaga has three others averaging double digits in Julian Strawther (15.6 points, 6.3 rebounds), Rasir Bolton (11 points, 2.6 assists), and Anton Watson (11 points, 5.7 rebounds).
Gonzaga struggles defensively, as they rank 293rd in the nation, allowing 75.3 points per game (72.2 at home). Those struggles were evident in their earlier loss to Saint Mary’s, when they allowed four players to score double digits, led by Aidan Mahaney with 18.
Take Saint Mary’s And The Points
Saint Mary’s comes into this one having won 16 of their last 17 overall and seven of their last eight on the road. In their last 20 road games versus Gonzaga, though, they are just 3-17.
As for the Bulldogs, they are undefeated in their last five games and 19-1 in their last 20 home games. In their last six games overall, the OVER has hit in every single one of them.
This is a tough one to call. Saint Mary’s has been dynamite this season, having already beaten Gonzaga, No. 22 San Diego State, and losing by just five to No. 1 Houston.
Still, the Bulldogs are really tough at home and will be looking for blood as they try to force a tie in the West Coast Conference.
While it is tough to bet against Gonzaga straight up at home, there is a lot of value in the spread here for the Gaels. Expect their elite defense to keep this close throughout. For that reason, take Saint Mary’s +4.5 (-102).
