Gonzaga Bulldogs vs St. Mary's Gaels Prediction, 3/2/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Gonzaga Bulldogs vs St. Mary's Gaels

Date: Saturday, March 2, 2024

Location: University Credit Union Pavilion in Moraga, CA

TV: ESPN

University Credit Union Pavilion is the site where the St. Mary's Gaels (23-6) will try to defeat the Gonzaga Bulldogs (22-6) on Saturday.

The Gonzaga Bulldogs played Santa Clara and took home the win by a score of 94-81 in their last game. Gonzaga walked away from the contest having earned a 56.7% field goal percentage (34 out of 60) and converted 8 of their 16 three-point shots. From the free throw line, the Bulldogs made 18 of their 26 shots for a rate of 69.2%. In relation to getting rebounds, they compiled 29 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 17 dimes for the game while forcing 11 turnovers and having 7 steals. In regard to the defense, Gonzaga allowed the other team to shoot 45.6% from the field on 31 out of 68 shooting. Santa Clara dished out 13 assists and had 5 steals for this game. Moreover, Santa Clara pulled down 31 rebounds (12 offensive, 19 defensive), but didn't notch a block. Santa Clara walked away from this one shooting 72.7% at the charity stripe by burying 8 of their 11 attempts. They made 11 of 27 shots from three-point range. When discussing fouls, the Bulldogs ended up finishing with 14 while Santa Clara finished the game with 21 fouls.

Graham Ike is someone who played a role for this game. He finished shooting 69.2% from the field but finished the game without a dime. He played 32 mins played and also totaled 7 rebounds. He ended up scoring 26 points on 9 out of 13 shooting.

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Gonzaga enters this game with a win-loss record of 22-6 for the season. They lose possession via turnover 10.0 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 15.9 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Gonzaga is grabbing 40.2 boards per game and has tallied 458 dimes this year, which has them ranked 35th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. The Bulldogs are hitting 34.8% on shots beyond the perimeter (198 of 569) and 71.6% from the free throw line. They are averaging 86.1 pts per contest (5th in the country) while hitting 51.6% from the field.

When they are on the defensive end, the Bulldogs have forced 11.5 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 17.1 personal fouls. They are ranked 52nd in college basketball in allowing assists with 317 surrendered for the season. The Bulldogs defense is giving up a FG percentage of 40.3% (698 of 1,734) and they concede 31.3 rebounds per contest as a team. They are relinquishing 33.0% on shots from beyond the arc and they rank 98th in the country in points per game from their opponents (69.1).

The last time they took the court, the St. Mary's Gaels walked away with a victory by a final of 88-62 when they faced San Diego. With respect to rebounding, St. Mary's permitted San Diego to grab 26 in all (7 on the offensive side). They shot 21.1% from downtown by shooting 4 out of 19 and ended up shooting 18 out of 22 at the free throw line (81.8%). The Gaels permitted San Diego to make 20 out of 56 attempts from the floor which had them shooting 35.7% in the matchup. When the final whistle blew, the Gaels shot 33 out of 59 from the floor which had them shooting 55.9%. When it comes to shooting from 3-point land, St. Mary's buried 11 out of 24 tries (45.8%). They were able to knock down 11 of those for a rate of 68.8%. San Diego earned 16 fouls for the matchup which got the Gaels to the free throw line for 16 shots. They also coughed up the ball 8 times, while earning 6 steals in this contest. The Gaels collected 28 defensive boards and 6 offensive boards for a total of 34 in the matchup.

Mitchell Saxen pitched in for the Gaels for the matchup. He scored 20 points in his 36 mins on the court and accumulated 2 dimes for the game. He knocked down 8 out of 11 in this matchup for a field goal percentage of 72.7%, and added 7 rebounds.

St. Mary's has a win-loss record of 23-6 for the year. The Gaels commit 16.5 fouls per game and they connect on 68.7% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 16.1 times per game (36th in college hoops) and they turn the ball over 9.9 times per game. St. Mary's has 2,162 pts for the campaign (74.6 per game) and they average 39.9 rebounds per contest. On the offensive side of the ball, the Gaels are connecting on 46.6% from the field, which is 71st in the nation.

The Gaels defensively are ranked 2nd in D-1 in PPG surrendered with 58.1. They are able to force 11.3 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 38.7% from the field (5th in college basketball). The St. Mary's defense allows 30.8% on shots from beyond the perimeter (144 of 468) and their opposition makes 71.1% of their foul shots. They give up 9.4 assists and 28.0 rebounds per contest, which ranks them 3rd and 1st in college basketball.

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Gonzaga

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