Pepperdine Waves vs St. Mary's Gaels Prediction, 2/15/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Pepperdine Waves vs St. Mary's Gaels

Date: Thursday, February 15, 2024

Location: University Credit Union Pavilion in Moraga, CA

TV: ESPN+

The Pepperdine Waves (10-16) are on their way to University Credit Union Pavilion on Thursday where they will attempt to beat the St. Mary's Gaels (20-6).

The Pepperdine Waves faced off with Loyola Marymount and went home with a win by a final score of 72-63 in their last game. In relation to personal fouls, the Waves ended up walking away with 15 and Loyola Marymount totaled 15 personal fouls. They also converted 4 out of their 14 attempts from beyond the perimeter. Loyola Marymount ended up shooting 73.3% at the free throw line by burying 11 of 15 shots. Furthermore, Loyola Marymount pulled down 30 boards (6 offensive, 24 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Loyola Marymount recorded 8 assists and had 3 steals in the game. In terms of defending, Pepperdine allowed the other team to go 41.4% from the field on 24 out of 58 shooting. They also recorded 8 assists for the contest in addition to forcing 9 turnovers and getting 2 steals. When talking about rebounding, they earned 36 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. When they shot from the free throw line, the Waves buried 11 of their 14 attempts for a rate of 78.6%. Pepperdine walked away from the game with a 44.4% field goal percentage (28 of 63) and buried 5 out of their 18 shots from beyond the arc.

Michael Ajayi is one guy who had an impact in this contest. He accounted for 17 points on 7 of 13 shooting. He saw the court for 40 mins played and also pulled down 13 boards. He finished the game at 53.8% from the field but didn't record a dime.

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Pepperdine steps onto the hardwood with a record of 10-16 for the year. They have an average of 72.5 points per contest (224th in Division 1) while hitting 44.5% from the field. The Waves are connecting on 34.9% on shots from 3-point land (175 of 502) and 69.7% from the free throw line. As a team, Pepperdine is collecting 34.0 rebounds per game and has accumulated 343 assists on the year, which is 131st in the country in terms of passing the ball. They cough up possession 11.0 times per contest and as a squad are committing 16.7 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

On defense, the Waves are forcing 11.7 turnovers per contest and they draw 18.2 personal fouls. They are ranked 272nd in the nation in allowing assists to their opponents with 340 conceded for the campaign. The Waves defensively are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 48.3% (694 of 1,437) and they surrender 32.8 rebounds per contest as a group. They give up 37.3% on shots from downtown while they are 245th in D-1 in points per game allowed (74.0).

The last time they took the court, the St. Mary's Gaels walked away with a victory by a final of 76-51 when they played Portland. The Gaels snagged 31 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards for a total of 39 in the matchup. They turned the ball over 7 times, while recording 6 steals for this game. Portland committed 12 personal fouls for the game which got the Gaels to the charity stripe for 13 shots. They were able to knock down 10 of those for a clip of 76.9%. When discussing shots from beyond the perimeter, St. Mary's made 14 of 35 attempts (40.0%). When this game wrapped up, the Gaels finished shooting 26 out of 64 from the field which gave them a percentage of 40.6%. The Gaels allowed Portland to knock down 18 of their 57 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 31.6% for the contest. They finished 15.0% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 3 of 20 and ended up going 12 out of 15 at the charity stripe (80.0%). When talking about rebounding, St. Mary's permitted Portland to snag 26 overall (5 offensive).

Aidan Mahaney ended up being important for the Gaels for this contest. He made 7 of 18 for the matchup for a field goal rate of 38.9%, and accumulated 7 rebounds. He earned 19 points in his 38 minutes on the hardwood and earned 3 assists in the game.

St. Mary's has a record of 20-6 for the year. The Gaels have committed 16.3 fouls every game and they connect on 68.4% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 15.7 times per game (48th in the country) and they turn it over 10.2 times per game. St. Mary's has accounted for 1,901 points for the campaign (73.1 per contest) and they average 40.2 boards per contest. When it comes to offensive execution, the Gaels are connecting on 45.6% from the field, which ranks them 130th in college hoops.

The Gaels defensively are ranked 2nd in college basketball in points per game surrendered with 57.7. They are able to force 11.6 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 38.6% from the floor (5th in college hoops). The St. Mary's defense gives up 30.5% on 3-point attempts (126 of 413) and their opposition makes 70.3% of their shots from the charity stripe. They relinquish 9.3 assists and 28.5 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks 3rd and 1st in college hoops.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take St. Mary's

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