Saturday, March 18, 2017

Vivint Smart Home Arena

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

The 7 seed St. Mary's Gaels travel to Vivint Smart Home Arena to play the 2 seed Arizona Wildcats on Saturday, March 18, 2017 in the NCAA Tournament. The opening line for this game has Arizona as 2.5 point favorites.

The Gaels finished the regular season with an overall record of 26-3. They are 16-12 against the spread and their over/under record is 11-15. The Wildcats ended the regular season with a record of 27-4. They have an over/under record of 13-17 and they are 18-14 against the spread.

Jock Landale comes into this contest averaging 16.9 points per game while playing 28.1 minutes per night so far this season for the Gaels. He pulls down 9.4 rebounds per game and dishes out 1.6 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 61% while his free throw percentage is currently at 72%. Calvin Hermanson averages 13.1 points per game in 28.5 minutes per contest this season. He averages 0.9 assists per contest and 3 rebounds per game for St. Mary's. His field goal percentage is 50% for the year while his free throw percentage is 82%.

Rawle Alkins averages 11.3 points per game while playing 28 minutes per contest this year for the Wildcats. He grabs 5.1 rebounds per game and has 2.1 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 47% and his free throw percentage currently is at 73%. Lauri Markkanen averages 15.7 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 30.4 minutes per contest. He also averages 7.1 rebounds per contest and 0.9 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 50% and his free throw percentage is 83%.

St. Mary's averages 72.4 points per contest this season which ranks them 200th in the nation. Their average scoring margin is 15.3 and their shooting percentage is 50% as a team which has them ranked 8th. Behind the arc they shoot 40% which is good for 18th in the country. They average 35.6 rebounds per game and 16.6 assists per game which ranks them 188th and 17th in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 334th with 10.7 per game. The Gaels allow 57.1 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 2nd in the nation. They also allow a 41% shooting percentage and a 30% average from behind the arc ranking them 40th and 9th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 26.4 rebounds a game which ranks 1st and they give up 8.9 assists per contest which puts them in 1st place in the country. They force 9.4 turnovers per game which ranks them 2nd in Division 1.

Arizona averages 76.9 points per game this year which ranks them 94th in Division 1 college basketball. Their average scoring margin is 11.0 and their shooting percentage is 48% as a team which has them sitting in the 29th spot in the country. Behind the arc they shoot 40% which is good for 19th in the nation. They average 36.9 rebounds per game and 13.8 assists per contest which ranks them 110th and 149th respectively. In the turnover department the Wildcats rank 312th with 11.3 per game. The Wildcats allow 65.9 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 42nd in the country. They also allow a 42% shooting percentage and a 31% average from behind the arc ranking them 68th and 21st in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 30.0 rebounds a game which ranks 8th and they give up 12.8 assists per contest which puts them in 139th place in the nation. The Wildcats force 11.7 turnovers per game which ranks them 67th in college basketball.

The Gaels are 3rd in the nation in offensive rating at 118.2. They assist on 63.3% of their shots, which ranks 8th in the country. In terms of pace they average 61.3 possessions per 40 minutes, which places them 350th among D-1 teams. They are 3rd in effective field goal percentage with 58%. As a team they are 5th in the country in true shooting percentage with 60% and they shoot 3 pointers on 42% of their shots. St. Mary's turns the ball over an average of 15.1 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 6.8% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage of 57.4% places them 2nd in Division 1 while their offensive rebound percentage is 33%.

The Wildcats are 20th in the nation in offensive rating at 113.9. They assist on 52.1% of their shots, which ranks 185th in the country. In terms of pace they average 67.6 possessions per 40 minutes, which places them 270th among D-1 teams. They are 50th in effective field goal percentage with 54%. As a team they are 26th in the country in true shooting percentage with 58% and they shoot 3 pointers on 30% of their shots. Arizona turns the ball over an average of 14.6 times per 100 possessions and they get a steal on 8% of their opponents possessions. Their total rebound percentage of 55.1% places them 10th in Division 1 while their offensive rebound percentage is 33%.

St. Mary's Gaels Betting Trends

The St. Mary's Gaels are 16-12 against the spread

The St. Mary's Gaels are 11-15 against the over/under

Arizona Wildcats Betting Trends

The Arizona Wildcats are 18-14 against the spread

The Arizona Wildcats are 13-17 against the over/under

St. Mary's Gaels Injuries

No key injuries to report

Arizona Wildcats Injuries

11/17/16 G Dylan Smith Concussion out indefinitely
11/11/16 F Talbott Denny Knee out for season
11/08/16 F Ray Smith Knee out for season

Guy's Pick: Take Arizona -2.5

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