Two of the top 20 teams in the Kenpom.com ratings will meet up in the Round of 32 in the NCAA tournament when seventh-seeded Saint Mary’s takes on second-seeded Arizona. Both teams advanced past the first round with fairly comfortable wins and despite the wide gap in seeding, this game opened with the Wildcats favored by just 2.5 points.
- Arizona is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games against teams in the West Coast Conference.
- Saint Mary's is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games.
- The total has gone UNDER in Saint Mary's last 5 games against the Pac-12.
Three of the Gaels’ four losses this season came against Gonzaga and with a fairly easy schedule otherwise, it’s tough to peg how they stack up against an Arizona squad that plays a similar style of offense. With Saint Mary’s ranking seventh in the nation in field-goal percentage and Arizona ranking 25th, both teams are extremely efficient at the offensive end. This one should come down to whichever team has the better shooting day and it’s definitely a candidate for an upset.
For the Wildcats, their success will have to come through the seven-foot Finn, Lauri Markkanen. The freshman averaged 15.7 points per game this season and managed to put up 20 in ’Zona’s opening-round game against North Dakota.
Saint Mary’s allowed VCU’s JeQuan Lewis to score 30 points on them in their first-round win but managed to limit the rest of a pretty lackluster squad. The Gaels won’t have that luxury this go-around as Arizona has four guys who average over 10 points per game and five who average better than 40 percent from beyond the arc.
St. Mary's Gaels vs Arizona Wildcats Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
Supporters of the St. Mary's Gaels have watched them go 29-4 and 18-13-1 ATS on the college basketball season, while the Arizona Wildcats are at 31-4 and 18-15-2 ATS. In totals betting, the Arizona Wildcats are 17-17-1, while the St. Mary's Gaels have a 13-19 mark.
This college basketball game matches up the No. 22 (Arizona) and the No. 3 (St. Mary's) teams in the league, according to our current NCAA basketball power rankings.
Statistical Matchup
When it comes to rebounds, the visiting St. Mary's Gaels rank No. 148 in NCAA Basketball Division 1 with 35.67 per game. That compares with Arizona’s No. 90 ranking in that category. The story is different when it comes to three-point shooting where Arizona is college basketball's No. 187-ranked team at 6.66 per game, while the St. Mary's Gaels rate No. 55 with 8.73 per game.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
The Gaels got 18 points from Jock Landale as Saint Mary's-California ran past VCU 85-77 on Thursday at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
The Wildcats grabbed a 100-82 win over the Fighting Hawks on Thursday, behind a 20-point effort from Lauri Markkanen at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
