The No.2-seeded Saint Mary’s Gaels play the No.3-seeded Georgia Bulldogs in the second round of the NIT tournament at McKeon Pavilion. The game begins at 7:30 pm ET on Sunday, Mar. 20 and will air on ESU and ES3.
The Gaels come into this game on a high note after edging New Mexico State 58-56 in the 1. Dane Pineau had 13 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks for Saint Mary’s. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are coming off a 93-84 win over Belmont in the 1. Yante Maten played well, accumulating 33 points and 10 rebounds to claim his 10th double-double of the season.
Pineau has really been playing well as of late for the Gaels, averaging 14.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.0 steal, and 2.0 blocks over the last five games. The Bulldogs also have their own player combo that has been hot in that same time frame. J.J. Frazier has averaged 20.0 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.6 three-pointers, while Maten has put up 21.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.6 blocks, and 1.0 three-pointer.
From an eFG% perspective, this will be a balanced matchup. Saint Mary’s’s sharp-shooting offense ranks first in the nation in that metric at 59.1%, while Georgia is third-best in the nation at forcing opponents’ misses (45.2%). Moreover, the Bulldogs are among the nation’s elite on the offensive backboards, ranking 22nd in OR% at 32.5%. But the Gaels rank eighth at corralling defensive rebounds with a DR% of 73.6%.
The Gaels have gone 28-5 Straight Up (SU) and 17-12 Against The Spread (ATS). Saint Mary’s is the most disciplined team in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.76. Turning to the defensive side, opposing offenses have been stifled by the Gaels, allowing a field goal percentage of only .409.
On the other side, the Bulldogs have a record of 19-14 ATS and 20-13 SU.
Saint Mary’s and Georgia have not played one another in a regular season matchup in recent years.
Predictions: SU Winner – UGa, ATS Winner – UGa
Notes
“St. Mary’s is 9-1 SU in its last 10 games “.
“St. Mary’s is 21-2 SU in its last 23 games at home”.
“Georgia is 4-11 SU in its last 15 games on the road”.
The Georgia Bulldogs have a defensive rating of 102.3 (ranked 39th), while the Saint Mary’s Gaels have the best offense in the nation, with an offensive rating of 121.3.
The Georgia Bulldogs average 67.9 possessions per game and 1.043 points per possession. The Saint Mary’s Gaels earn fewer possessions with 61.3, but they score more points with 1.213.
Saint Mary’s has the first-ranked average effective field goal percentage at 59.1%. Georgia is a losing 1-2 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, Saint Mary’s attempts 21.0 three pointers and Georgia attempts 17.0. Both teams have winning records when they have 20 or more three point attempts. The Saint Mary’s Gaels sit at 16-3 and the Georgia Bulldogs are 8-4.
Saint Mary’s ranks at the top of the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.76 this season. Georgia falls outside the top 100 with an A/TO of .94.
Georgia, the 52nd-ranked team in rebounding, registers an average of 38.9 rebounds per game. Saint Mary’s does worse, ranked 237th with 35.0.
Georgia makes an average of 4.8 steals per game. Saint Mary’s has a formidable 17-4 record when it allows at least 4 steals.
