The Gaels of St. Mary’s will take on the Arizona Wildcats on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. This game will be played at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City. The Gaels are looking for their 30th win of the season, after downing VCU in the first round. St. Mary’s finished second in both the West Coast regular season and conference tournament to Gonzaga.
The Arizona Wildcats come into the game with 31 wins. The Wildcats have been red hot for Sean Miller as of late. The Wildcats won the Pac-12 tournament, and then blew out North Dakota in the first round of the tournament. The Arizona Wildcats are big favorites in this game. Arizona is -8.5 over Saint Mary’s in NCAAB odds.
St. Mary’s vs Arizona March Madness Betting Pick, Prediction & TV Info
When: Saturday, March 18, 2017. 5:45pm ET
Where: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, UT.
TV: CBS
Radio: St. Mary’s / ArizonaStream Option: March Madness LiveNCAAB Odds: Arizona at -8.5
Why Bet on Arizona?
The Arizona Wildcats have won five straight games, but have been doing so with some authority. The Wildcats have losses this season to Butler, Gonzaga, UCLA and Oregon. The Wildcats are one of the top scoring teams in all of college basketball. The Wildcats are scoring 76.3 points per game.
Lauri Markkanen is the top scorer for the Wildcats. He is scoring more than 15 points per game, playing more than 30 minutes per game. The Wildcats are playing in the NCAA Tournament for the 34th time in school history. Arizona has been to the Final Four on four occasions, and are seeking their 2nd national title.
Why Bet on St. Mary’s?
The St Mary’s Gaels have only lost four games all season long, and three of them came to the Gonzaga Bulldogs. The Gaels have been impressive from start to finish this season. St. Mary’s is one of the top defensive teams in all of college basketball. The Gaels are allowing teams to score just 56.5 points per game.
St. Mary’s is also pretty solid on offense, as they scored 85 in the win over VCU. During the regular season, the Gaels scored 72 points per game, anchored by their big man Jock Landale. He scored 16.8 points per game, and Emmett Naar added just shy of 10 per game. The Gaels are in the tournament for the 9th time in school history.
Betting Pick & Score Prediction
This game is a tough one to predict. This is going to be the best second round game as far as fewest losses. Keep in mind, these two teams have only lost 8 games combined. One of these teams is going to go home awfully disappointed. The Arizona Wildcats are the much more talented team in this game.
Look for the Gaels to keep this game at their pace for a while, but in 40 minutes, it’s tough to do the whole time. Arizona will eventually impose their will on this game. The final bet for this game is the favorite. Bet on the Arizona Wildcats -8.5 over the Saint Mary’s Gaels on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
