Pepperdine Waves vs St. Mary's Gaels Prediction, 1/2/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Pepperdine Waves vs St. Mary's Gaels

Date: Thursday, January 2, 2025

Location: University Credit Union Pavilion in Moraga, CA

TV: ESPN+

The St. Mary's Gaels (11-3) will try to defeat the Pepperdine Waves (6-8) at University Credit Union Pavilion on Thursday.

The Pepperdine Waves faced off with Santa Clara and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 91-80 in their last game. Pepperdine finished the contest with a 44.8% FG percentage (30 of 67) and made 8 of their 23 shots from beyond the perimeter. At the free throw line, the Waves buried 12 of 12 shots for a percentage of 100.0%. When talking about grabbing rebounds, they collected 32 with 12 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 17 assists for this contest while forcing 10 turnovers and getting 7 steals. When talking about the defense, Pepperdine allowed 50.7% from the field on 34 of 67 shooting. Santa Clara distributed 22 assists and had 7 steals for this contest. Furthermore, Santa Clara had 31 rebounds (8 offensive, 23 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Santa Clara went 72.7% from the charity stripe by making 8 of their 11 shots. They made 15 of their 33 attempts from 3-point land. In the matter of fouls, the Waves walked away with 12 and Santa Clara finished the game with 15 fouls.

Stefan Todorovic is a guy who was a factor for this contest. He was able to score 25 points on 10 out of 21 shooting. He played for 37 minutes played and also totaled 3 boards. He ended up shooting 47.6% from the field and also earned 4 dimes.

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Pepperdine heads into this matchup with a mark of 6-8 this season. They are averaging 75.2 pts per contest (196th in D-1) while hitting 46.1% from the floor. The Waves are shooting 35.0% on 3-pointers (98 of 280) and 72.9% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Pepperdine is collecting 37.7 boards per contest and is sitting with 234 assists for the season, which has them ranked 15th in Division 1 in terms of passing the ball. They are giving up possession 11.7 times per game and as a unit are committing 16.4 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end of the court, the Waves have forced 11.1 turnovers per contest while drawing 17.1 personal fouls. They currently rank 180th in D-1 in giving up assists to the opposition with 167 surrendered for the season. The Waves defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 41.8% (354 of 847) and they surrender 34.2 rebounds per contest as a squad. They relinquish 32.7% on shots from distance and they rank 196th in college hoops in PPG allowed (71.6).

When they last played, the St. Mary's Gaels went home victorious with a score of 70-60 against Pacific. When it comes to how they cleaned up the glass, St. Mary's allowed Pacific to grab 30 overall (7 offensive). They shot 25.0% from beyond the arc by connecting on 3 out of 12 and finished the contest at 11 out of 15 at the free throw line (73.3%). The Gaels allowed Pacific to bury 23 of their 56 attempts from the floor which gave them a rate of 41.1% in this contest. In all, the Gaels finished 26 out of 68 from the field which gave them a percentage of 38.2%. In relation to 3-pointers, St. Mary's made 7 out of their 23 tries (30.4%). They were able to knock down 11 of those for a rate of 55.0%. Pacific earned 18 personal fouls in this game which took the Gaels to the free throw line for 20 attempts. They gave up possession of the ball 6 times, while earning 3 steals for the game. The Gaels were able to snag 26 defensive boards and 20 offensive boards for a total of 46 in this game.

Luke Barrett ended up having an impact for the Gaels for the contest. He made 9 out of 15 for this contest giving him a field goal percentage of 60.0%, and earned 10 rebounds. He tallied 20 points in his 35 mins on the hardwood and had 5 assists for the contest.

St. Mary's has a record of 11-3 on the year. The Gaels are responsible for committing 15.8 personal fouls every game and they go 66.6% from the charity stripe. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 16.6 times per game (60th in the country) and they turn the ball over 11.0 times per game. St. Mary's has tallied 1,049 points on the season (74.9 per game) and they collect 41.2 rebounds per game. As an offensive unit, the Gaels are shooting 44.9% from the field, which is ranked 195th in the country.

The St. Mary's defense concedes 32.7% on three-point shots (85 of 260) and opponents are making 75.0% of their free throw attempts. They have conceded 13.0 dimes and 31.2 total rebounds per game, ranking them 187th and 45th in college hoops. The Gaels on the defensive side of the court are 35th in D-1 in PPG given up with 64.3. They have forced 11.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 40.9% from the field (86th in the nation).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Pepperdine

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