The Saint Mary’s Gaels open their NCAA Tournament play when they take on the VCU Rams in a first-round game in the West Region on Friday. Saint Mary’s is the fifth seed in the region after tying for the top spot in the West Coast Conference college basketball standings with Gonzaga, then falling to the Bulldogs in the conference tournament title game.
VCU is on a nine-game winning streak, winning the Atlantic 10 regular-season title by three games over three teams and rolling to the conference tournament title as well. This game is one of the top NCAA basketball games today, so let’s get a closer look at the contest and make our best Saint Mary’s vs VCU prediction.
Saint Mary’s vs. VCU
Saint Mary’s vs. VCU Information
Saint Mary’s Gaels vs VCU Rams
Location: MVP Arena, Albany, NY.
Date and Time: Friday, March 17, 2023, 2:00 PM ET.
How to Watch: https://livestreamsports.co/
Updates for Saint Mary’s vs. VCU
Saint Mary’s has won five of the last seven games on its NCAAB schedule, but two of those losses have come in the last two contests, both against Gonzaga. The Gaels also beat the Bulldogs once this season and have been one of the quietly good NCAA basketball teams in the country.
Guard Logan Johnson leads a very balanced offensive attack, with four different players averaging in double figures. Johnson averages 14.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, though he’s averaged 22.6 points over the last five contests.
The Gaels have a pair of sharpshooters from beyond the arc in guards Aidan Mahaney and Alex Ducas, who are connecting on 41.2 and 41.8%, respectively, on their 3-point attempts. Any March Madness perfect bracket is going to have to account for the hot streaks from players, and this duo could shoot Saint Mary’s deep into the tournament if they get it going. Mahaney is averaging 14.5 points, while Ducas is scoring 12.5 points per game.
VCU’s Defense Could Propel Them to an Upset Victory
Some people are making this game one of their upset college basketball picks today because VCU has been on a roll. The Rams can get the job done on the defensive end, ranking 23rd in the country in scoring defense at just 62.9 points allowed per game and 14th in steals per contest with 8.9.
Junior guard Adrian Baldwin Jr. is one of those master thieves for the Rams, averaging 2.2 steals per game. He also is averaging 12.7 points and 5.9 assists and is coming off a 16-point, seven-assist effort in the Atlantic 10 Tournament title game win over Dayton.
Forward Brandon Johns Jr. has NCAA Tournament experience from his time playing with Michigan before transferring to VCU last offseason. Johns is averaging 11.8 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 51.9% from the floor, and could be one of the impact college basketball players for the Rams in this game.
The college basketball injury report for both teams is fortunately empty, other than players for Saint Mary’s that haven’t played in months. When making your Saint Mary’s vs VCU prediction, you can count on all of the main players being on the court for both teams.
Saint Mary’s vs. VCU Betting Preview
March Madness betting odds generally will favor the higher-seeded team, and that’s the case in this contest as well. Saint Mary’s is giving four points on a point-spread bet, and you can get -110 odds no matter which team you take with that wager.
The NCAAB odds for a moneyline bet will get you the Gaels at -190, while the Rams are listed at +163 for a straight-up win. The over/under has been set at 123 points, with -110 odds no matter which way you bet.
Saint Mary’s vs. VCU Betting Prediction
This could be one of the harder picks to make when you’re betting on March Madness, as both teams have played very well this season.
Still, when we’re making our Saint Mary’s vs VCU prediction, we have to go with the Gaels, who have been more consistent and are due for a solid game after a couple of recent losses.
Betting on this event:
Bet on Saint Mary’s Gaels to prevail at -190. As for the correct score, go with Saint Mary’s Gaels 76 – 66 VCU Rams.
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