The West Coast’s top team will be on the road when the Saint Mary’s Gaels (13-1) head to Albert Gersten Pavilion to face off against the Loyola Marymount Lions (7-7). Action begins at 10:00 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 7 and can be seen on CI.
The Lions are hoping to rebound after their 68-65 loss to Pepperdine in their last matchup. Adom Jacko was the game’s leading scorer with 21 points. The Gaels, meanwhile, are coming off a 79-46 win against San Diego in their last game. Dane Pineau was the game’s top scorer, accounting for 17 points on 8-for-9 shooting.
The Lions may have trouble getting to the line in this one. They’re 346th in the nation in FTA rate (25.7), while Saint Mary’s is among the nation’s least foul-prone squads (yielding a FTA rate of just 26.7, 26th in the country). Moreover, the Gaels rank first in eFG% at 63.6%, whereas the suspect field-goal defense of the Lions places 266th with opponents connecting at a clip of 51.4%.
Saint Mary’s is favored by 11 points over Loyola Marymount and the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 137 points. The Lions come into this game 7-7 Straight Up (SU) and 8-5 Against The Spread (ATS).
As for their opponent, it’s hard to argue with the ATS success of Saint Mary’s. The Gaels are clearly doing something right with an 11-0 record ATS to go along with a 13-1 record SU. Saint Mary’s performed well ATS over its last 10 games, going 9-0 to go with a 9-1 SU record. The Gaels convert their shots at a high percentage, leading the country at .543. The Gaels are an unselfish team with an average of 20.1 assists per game, ranking fourth in Division I. Moving on to the Saint Mary’s defense, the Gaels allow just 57.8 points per game, ranking them fourth in the nation. The Gaels have one of the best opponent field-goal percentages in the nation at .384. Defensive rebounding is an area where Saint Mary’s has excelled. The Gaels average 21.9 defensive rebounds per game, making them one of the best in the nation.
This game marks the season’s first head-to-head clash between these conference foes. Their previous game was a Gaels victory, bumping their SU record over their most recent meetings to 9-1. The teams are even ATS, with a 5-5 record. Saint Mary’s held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers three times in the last five matchups. On the other side of the court, Loyola Marymount never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – StMry, ATS Winner – StMry, O/U – Under
Notes
Loyola Marymount is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games.
Loyola Marymount is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home.
Loyola Marymount is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing St. Mary’s.
Loyola Marymount is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against St. Mary’s.
Loyola Marymount scores an average of just 71.9 points per game (ranked 212th). Saint Mary’s ranks fourth in points allowed, giving up 57.8 points per game.
Loyola Marymount scores just 80.2 points per home game (ranked 140th). Saint Mary’s ranks fifth in points allowed on the road, giving up 61.0 points.
The Saint Mary’s Gaels have a defensive rating of 90.6 (ranked 12th), while the Loyola Marymount Lions have an offensive rating of 103.1 (ranked 225th).
Loyola Marymount averages 69.8 possessions per game, scoring 1.031 points on each possession. While Saint Mary’s averages fewer possessions per game with 62.3, they score more points per possession with 1.285.
Ranked first in the nation, Saint Mary’s has an average effective field goal percentage of 63.6%. Loyola Marymount has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage (0-1).
The Loyola Marymount Lions attempt 21.0 three pointers per game, and the Saint Mary’s Gaels attempt 22.0 on average. When attempting at least 20 three pointers this season, Loyola Marymount has a split record (5-5) and Saint Mary’s has an undefeated record (8-0).
The Saint Mary’s Gaels top the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.04. The Loyola Marymount Lions rank 60th with an A/TO of 1.29.
The Loyola Marymount Lions average 7.6 steals per game. The Saint Mary’s Gaels are undefeated at 4-0 when they allow at least 7 steals.
