St. Mary's Gaels vs Utah Utes Prediction, 12/7/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: St. Mary's Gaels vs Utah Utes

Date: Saturday, December 7, 2024

Location: Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, UT

TV: ESPN+

Jon M. Huntsman Center is the site where the Utah Utes (6-1) will try to defeat the St. Mary's Gaels (8-1) on Saturday.

The St. Mary's Gaels took the court against UTSA and walked away with a win by a score of 82-74 in their last contest. St. Mary's walked away from the game with a 40.7% field goal percentage (24 out of 59) and converted 3 out of their 21 3-point attempts. At the free throw line, the Gaels made 31 of 43 shots for a percentage of 72.1%. In regard to hauling in boards, they earned a total of 40 with 17 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 20 assists in this game while creating 17 turnovers and getting 10 steals. Pertaining to defense, St. Mary's allowed the other team to go 35.7% from the field on 25 out of 70 shooting. UTSA distributed 10 dimes and had 9 steals in this contest. Furthermore, UTSA grabbed 42 boards (18 offensive, 24 defensive), but didn't have a block. UTSA ended up going 78.9% from the free throw line by making 15 of their 19 shots. They converted 9 out of their 28 shots from beyond the arc. In relation to personal fouls, the Gaels ended up walking away with 18 and UTSA totaled 28 personal fouls.

Augustas Marciulionis is a player who played a role in the matchup. He finished with 23 points on 7 of 11 shooting. He played 45 minutes played and also collected 1 rebound. He ended up going 63.6% from the floor and earned 8 dimes.

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St. Mary's comes into this one with a mark of 8-1 so far this year. They lose possession via turnover 11.6 times per game and as a team are committing 15.6 personal fouls every game. As a unit, St. Mary's is grabbing 43.8 boards per game and has totaled 147 assists on the campaign, which is 46th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. The Gaels are hitting 30.4% on 3-point shots (56 of 184) and 66.8% from the free throw line. They are averaging 77.9 points per outing (147th in the nation) while connecting on 46.6% from the floor.

Defensively, the Gaels have forced 12.2 turnovers per contest while drawing 18.3 fouls. They are relinquishing 30.9% on shots from distance and they rank 29th in college basketball in points per game allowed (63.0). The Gaels defense is allowing an opponent FG percentage of 38.8% (205 of 529) and they surrender 30.6 boards per game as a unit. They currently rank 189th in Division 1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 108 conceded on the season.

In their last game, the Utah Utes walked away with a victory by a final of 88-80 when they played Eastern Washington. Regarding how they rebounded, Utah permitted Eastern Washington to collect 28 in all (5 on the offensive side). They shot 36.7% from distance by going 11 of 30 and finished the contest at 17 out of 18 from the free throw line (94.4%). The Utes allowed Eastern Washington to convert 26 out of 57 attempts from the floor which gave them a percentage of 45.6% in this game. When all was said and done, the Utes ended up going 28 for 58 from the field which gave them a rate of 48.3%. In regard to shots from downtown, Utah knocked down 4 of their 19 tries (21.1%). They were able to convert 28 of them for a percentage of 62.2%. Eastern Washington committed 18 personal fouls for this game which got the Utes to the charity stripe for 45 tries. They also turned the ball over 10 times, while recording 8 steals for the game. The Utes earned 21 defensive boards and 15 offensive boards totaling 36 in this game.

Gabe Madsen pitched in for the Utes for this contest. He buried 7 of 14 in this matchup for a field goal percentage of 50.0%, but wasn't able to snag a rebound. He totaled 28 points in his 34 minutes of playing time and had 4 dimes for the matchup.

Utah has a record of 6-1 for the season. The Utes are responsible for committing 18.1 fouls per contest and they hit 67.1% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 21.3 times per contest (1st in college basketball) and they lose possession via turnover 11.4 times per game. Utah has totaled 633 pts for the campaign (90.4 per contest) and they pull down 44.3 rebounds per game. When it comes to executing on offense, the Utes are shooting 49.7% from the field, which ranks them 33rd in Division 1.

The Utah defense gives up 29.8% on shots from 3-point land (51 of 171) and their opponents are connecting on 70.4% of their shots from the charity stripe. They give up 11.9 assists and 33.7 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is 108th and 140th in college hoops. The Utes on the defensive end are ranked 33rd in the nation in PPG given up with 63.7. They are able to force 12.7 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 35.5% from the field (4th in college basketball).

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

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

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