The UC Davis Aggies will travel to McKeon Pavilion to face the Saint Mary’s Gaels. Action starts at 10:00 pm ET on Friday, Dec. 4.
The Gaels come into this game on a high note after blowing out Cal State Bakersfield 94-59 the last time they played. Emmett Naar was the game’s leading scorer with 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting. The Aggies, meanwhile, are coming off a 66-61 win against Sacramento State in their last game. Nolan Berry stood out for UC Davis, registering 11 points, nine rebounds, and two assists.
Saint Mary’s is a big 10-point favorite at home and the Over/Under (O/U) for this matchup is sitting at 140 points. The Gaels come into this game unbeaten with a 4-0 record Straight Up (SU) and 2-0 Against The Spread (ATS). The Gaels have no trouble scoring as they rank 30th in the nation in offense with 85.2 points per game. Spreading the ball around is a huge part of Saint Mary’s’s offense. They are seventh in the nation in assists with an average of 20.2 per game. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, it’s been a struggle for opposing teams to score on the Gaels. The 59.8 points that Saint Mary’s’s defense allows per game makes them the 16th-ranked defense in the country. Saint Mary’s’s three-point defense can be considered one of the best in the nation, allowing just 6.0 three-pointers per game. Not making mistakes with the ball is a staple of the Saint Mary’s offense, which averages just 10.8 turnovers per game.
In the other locker room, the Aggies head into the game with records of 1-3 ATS and 4-2 SU. The Aggies convert their three-pointers at a high percentage, ranking eighth in the nation at .443. UC Davis is one of the better rebounding teams in Division I. The Aggies average 43.2 rebounds per game, making them the 32nd-best team in the country for that category.
Saint Mary’s and UC Davis have not played one another in a regular season matchup in recent years.
Predictions: SU Winner – StMry, ATS Winner – StMry, O/U – Under
Notes
St. Mary’s is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home.
UC Davis averages 75.5 points per game, placing the team just 161st in the nation. Saint Mary’s ranks 16th in points allowed, giving up 59.8 points per game.
UC Davis averages 80.5 points per away game (ranked 32nd). Saint Mary’s allows 59.8 points per home game (ranked 58th).
The UC Davis Aggies have a defensive rating of 91.4 (ranked 37th), while the Saint Mary’s Gaels have the best offense in the nation, with an offensive rating of 135.1.
The UC Davis Aggies average 72.4 possessions per game and 1.042 points per possession. The Saint Mary’s Gaels earn fewer possessions with 63.1, but they score more points with 1.351.
The Saint Mary’s Gaels attempt 25.0 three pointers per game this season, while the UC Davis Aggies attempt 14.0. When they register 20 or more three point attempts in a game, Saint Mary’s is undefeated (3-0) while UC Davis is winless (0-1).
The fifth-ranked team in the category, Saint Mary’s has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.88 this season. UC Davis ranks outside the top 100 at 301st with an A/TO of .81.
Saint Mary’s ranks 207th in offensive rebounds, while UC Davis ranks fourth in defensive rebounds.
UC Davis makes 6.5 steals per game. In games where it allows 6 or more steals, Saint Mary’s is undefeated at 2-0.
