Saint Mary’s vs Santa Clara Predictions and Betting Preview
Sportsmemo content contributor Kyle Kargel offers his Saint Mary’s vs Santa Clara betting preview in the West Coast Conference Tournament for Monday, March 7. At the time of posting, the Gaels are a 5-point favorite against the Broncos, with the total sitting at 138 points.
Check out our College Basketball Free Picks page for betting thoughts from some of the country’s top handicappers.
Monday, March 7 | West Coast Conference Tournament Betting Notes |
---|---|
Point Spread: | Saint Mary’s Gaels -5 vs Santa Clara Broncos |
Total: | 138 Points |
Game Time: | 11:30pm ET / 8:30pm PT |
Arena: | Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, NV |
TV: | ESPN2 |
Saint Mary’s vs Santa Clara Analysis
Although these two teams play different styles of basketball they split their two games against each other this season with each winning their home game.
The rubber match will be played on a neutral site in Las Vegas where in neutral sites on the season the Broncos are 2-1 and the Gaels are 2-2. Each are 4-1 in their last five with Saint Mary’s last win coming at home against then #1 ranked Gonzaga.
The winner of this game will likely face the Zags in the WCC Championship game tomorrow. With Saint Mary’s currently sitting as five point favorites, let’s see where the Broncos could potentially pull the upset.
Santa Clara Needs to Play Up-Pace to Win
The biggest difference in these two teams is the pace of play where the Broncos are 24th in adjusted tempo and Saint Mary’s is 335th.
So the biggest way for Santa Clara to take advantage of Saint Mary’s is to get them out of their element of playing slow and play up-pace.
On offense the Broncos are 5th nationally in three point shooting percentage, but they don’t shoot it much from there ranking 301st in three point attempts per game and 248th in percentage of points coming from downtown.
They generate a large majority of points from inside ranking 34th in two point field goal percentage and score 55.7% of their total points inside the arch which is 50th overall.
They don’t rely much on their bench ranking 339th in bench minutes. If this game gets close, Santa Clara is solid at the free throw line with their top four scorers all shooting 80% or better from the stripe.
Gaels Slay Goliath
The Gaels are coming off their biggest win of the season against Gonzaga, but it’s been over a week since they played in that game.
Saint Mary’s was great at slowing down the tempo in that game and they’ll likely be able to do the same here. This is based on their top ten adjusted defensive efficiency ranking which includes top 80 rankings in defending effective field goals, generating turnovers and preventing offensive rebounds.
They’re top five in the country in not allowing three point shots and #1 overall defensively in assist/field goal made ratio. Like Santa Clara, Saint Mary’s doesn’t utilize their bench either, ranking 312th in bench minutes.
They rely on a trio of seniors to lead the squad which includes scoring as Matthias Tass, Tommy Kuhse and Logan Johnson make up 50% of the total team scoring.
Saint Mary’s vs Santa Clara Prediction
Saint Mary’s allows opponents to only score 59 points per game, ranking 7th nationally in that category and I see that being the difference here.
I think Saint Mary’s wins the battle in controlling the tempo taking Santa Clara out of their element eventually leading to a low scoring win. After all, they only allowed Gonzaga to score 57 against them over a week ago.
I see the Gael’s being able to hold Santa Clara to around the same amount of points in a double digit win.
Prediction: Saint Mary’s -5
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🤑🔥 Conference tournament action is heating up with the Big Dance on the horizon. Check out who’s running HOT over at https://t.co/W41QI6Q2p4! pic.twitter.com/JL7hnUew3k
— Sportsmemo (@sportsmemo) March 7, 2022
Saint Mary’s vs Santa Clara GoldSheet Preview
College Basketball Stat Sheet
GoldSheet prepares a daily college basketball stat sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Monday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Saint Mary’s vs Santa Clara contest.
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