Offense meets defense when the Saint Mary’s Gaels (14-2, 3-0 WCC) welcome the San Diego Toreros (12-3, 3-0 WCC) to McKeon Pavilion. The game can be seen on ESPN Full Court at 11 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 6, 2018.
Saint Mary’s opened as a 13.5-point favorite, while the game’s Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 136.5 points.
San Diego Toreros at Saint Mary’s Gaels Free Prediction
The last time the Toreros played, they defeated the Portland Pilots, 81-74. One of San Diego’s biggest strengths was getting to the free throw line. They had 41 free throw attempts, while Portland had 32. With 30 points on 7-for-12 shooting, Isaiah Wright was the game’s leading scorer.
The Gaels won big over the Pacific Tigers in their last game, 74-56. One of Saint Mary’s’ biggest advantages was their ability to convert at the free throw line. They were 14-16 (87.5 percent), while the Tigers were just 6-9 (66.7 percent). With 13 points and 17 rebounds, Saint Mary’s’ Jock Landale had a solid outing.
The game should be a battle of strength against strength as the high-octane offense of Saint Mary’s (third in the NCAA with an offensive efficiency of 125.1) takes on the top-notch defense of San Diego (13th in the nation with a defensive efficiency of 89.9). Also, the Toreros rank 289th in offensive rebounding percentage (25.4 percent), while the Gaels rank 24th in defensive rebounding percentage (75.8 percent).
Wright has averaged 15.2 points, 7.2 assists and 6.0 rebounds over the last five games for San Diego.
After the Gaels won both meetings against the Toreros last season, this will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams. In the last game, Saint Mary’s won 71-27. The Gaels made 10 of their 13 free throws (76.9 percent) and had a much better offensive rebounding percentage (33.3 vs. 12.8).
San Diego Toreros at Saint Mary’s Gaels Betting Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Saint Mary’s, ATS Winner – Saint Mary’s, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
Saint Mary’s ranks first in rebounds allowed per game (28.0) while San Diego ranks 150th (35.4).
The Toreros rank 39th in blocks per game (4.8) while the Gaels rank 150th (2.6).
San Diego ranks second in assists allowed per game (8.5) while Saint Mary’s ranks 87th (12.4).
The Gaels are 23rd in the nation with 5.0 steals allowed per game while the Toreros are 37th with 5.3 steals allowed per game.
San Diego allows the eighth-fewest three pointers per game (16.4) while Saint Mary’s ranks ninth (16.4).
Bettings Trends:
The Toreros’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 13.0, up from 10.1 for the season.
During their last five games, the Gaels have scored an average of 79.8 points per game (1.1 below their season average) and allowed an average of 60.4 points per game (5.6 below their season average).
