St. Mary's Gaels vs Houston Cougars Prediction, 12/3/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds
Game: St. Mary's Gaels vs Houston Cougars
Date: Saturday, December 3, 2022
Location: Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX
TV: ESPN2
The Houston Cougars (7-0) will compete against the St. Mary's Gaels (6-2) at Dickies Arena on Saturday.
The St. Mary's Gaels played New Mexico and took a loss by a score of 69-65 in their last contest. St. Mary's finished the game having earned a 44.7% field goal percentage (21 of 47) and buried 6 of their 18 shots from downtown. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Gaels made 17 of their 27 tries for a rate of 63.0%. In reference to pulling down boards, they earned 27 with 7 of them being of the offensive sort. They also dished out 10 assists in this contest while forcing the other team into 17 turnovers and having 12 steals. When it comes to defending, St. Mary's allowed the other team to shoot 49.0% from the field on 25 out of 51 shooting. New Mexico totaled 7 dimes and had 11 steals in this game. Additionally, New Mexico snagged 27 rebounds (4 offensive, 23 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. New Mexico shot 87.5% from the charity stripe by burying 14 of 16 tries. They converted 5 of 10 shots from beyond the arc. In regard to fouls, the Gaels walked away with 20 and New Mexico finished the game with 17 fouls.
Alex Ducas is a player who was a factor in this matchup. He finished the contest at 70.0% from the floor but wasn't able to get an assist. He was on the hardwood for 35 mins played and also snagged 4 rebounds. He totaled 25 points on 7 out of 10 shooting.
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St. Mary's will enter this matchup with a mark of 6-2 on the season. They are averaging 71.5 pts per contest (213th in the country) while hitting 45.3% from the field. The Gaels are connecting on 37.4% on shots beyond the perimeter (61 of 163) and 63.7% from the charity stripe. As a unit, St. Mary's is snagging 37.6 boards per game and is sitting with 100 dimes so far this year, which is 186th in college basketball in terms of passing the ball. They turn it over 11.4 times per game and as a team are committing 15.0 fouls every game.
On the defensive end of the court, the Gaels are able to force 14.6 turnovers every game while drawing 16.6 fouls. They currently rank 12th in college basketball in allowing assists with 57 conceded on the season. The Gaels are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 38.9% (165 of 424) and they surrender 29.6 boards per game as a basketball team. They give up 34.5% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 20th in the nation in points per game allowed (57.5).
When they last stepped on the court, the Houston Cougars got the victory with a final of 100-52 against Norfolk State. The Cougars were able to corral 22 defensive boards and 15 offensive rebounds totaling 37 in the matchup. They gave up possession 9 times, while getting 9 steals in this game. Norfolk State committed 16 personal fouls in this matchup which took the Cougars to the free throw line for 10 tries. They were able to knock down 7 of the free throw tries for a clip of 70.0%. In regard to three-point shots, Houston buried 17 of 33 attempts (51.5%). In all, the Cougars ended up shooting 38 for 66 from the field which had them shooting 57.6%. The Cougars permitted Norfolk State to knock down 20 of their 57 tries from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 35.1% for the contest. They went 5.6% from beyond the arc via 1 of 18 and ended up going 11 out of 13 at the charity stripe (84.6%). In reference to attacking the glass, Houston permitted Norfolk State to snag 22 overall (9 offensive).
Marcus Sasser ended up being a major contributor for the Cougars in this contest. He made 8 out of 15 for the matchup for a rate of 53.3%, and totaled 1 rebound. He accumulated 25 points in his 27 mins on the hardwood and had 4 assists for the game.
Houston has a win-loss mark of 7-0 on the season. In terms of offensive execution, the Cougars are connecting on 47.8% from the field, which is 71st in the nation. Houston has earned 545 pts so far this year (77.9 per contest) and they average 42.1 rebounds per game. They are dishing out assists 14.7 times per game (114th in the nation) and they turn it over 11.3 times per contest. The Cougars are responsible for committing 15.3 fouls per contest and they go 70.2% from the charity stripe.
The Cougars on the defensive end are ranked 1st in D-1 in points given up per game with 48.0. They are forcing 16.1 turnovers per game and have let teams shoot 30.0% from the floor (1st in D-1). The Houston defense concedes 18.5% on 3-pointers (31 of 168) and their opponents are knocking down 69.2% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have allowed 6.9 assists and 32.7 boards on a nightly basis, which is 2nd and 110th in those defensive categories.
Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?
Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Houston
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