As expected, the No.1 Gonzaga Bulldogs will battle it out with the No.2 St. Mary’s Gaels for this season’s West Coast Conference Tournament title in tonight’s championship game at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
It will be the third time that these two teams have met this season and while Gonzaga won both contests straight-up, the Gaels covered as 9-point underdogs on the road in an 83-78 loss on Jan.10.
In the second game, the Bulldogs rolled to a 77-60 victory as 1.5-point road underdogs. Sportsbook has opened Gonzaga as a 5.5-point favorite to complete the sweep with the total set at 138.
The Gaels will try to spoil to the party on Monday; they are 15-15 ATS against the number this season, while the Bulldogs are 16-12-2 ATS. St. Mary's is 14-13 on the totals; Gonzaga is 9-18-1.
View St Marys vs Gonzaga Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
Bettors looking to side with Gonzaga in this one found them as 4-point favorites earlier in the day. Watch for line moves and updates at Sportsbook before gametime.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
The power rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Bulldogs rated this week at No. 7 and the Gaels sitting at No. 47. It may or may not play a role in Odds Shark score prediction modelling that produced a 88-82 result in favor of the Bulldogs.
How They Match Up:
In the paint, the rebound battle will feature Gonzaga's No. 54-rated squad against St. Mary's's No. 57-rated roster. And in long-range shooting, Gonzaga rates No. 128 in the country with 6.5 per game, while their foes tonight rank No. 29 nationally with 8 per match.
Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, St. Mary's owns the country's No. 41-rated mark, allowing 63 points per game on the highway. Gonzaga, on the other hand, rates No. 15 in scoring at home.
St. Mary's was a 69-66 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against San Diego. They failed to cover the 15-point spread as favorites. San Diego was victimized for 23 points and 16 rebounds by Brad Waldow as the Gaels bested the Toreros 69-66 in college basketball action on Saturday.
Last time out for Gonzaga, they were a 66-48 Sportsbook as they battled Loyola Marymount at home. They failed to cover in the match as a 21.5-point favorite. The Bulldogs grabbed a 66-48 win over the Lions on Saturday, behind a 21-point effort from Elias Harris at Orleans Arena.
St. Mary's Gaels Trends:
When playing on Monday are 7-3
After playing San Diego are 5-5
After a win are 9-1
Gonzaga Bulldogs Trends:
When playing on Monday are 9-1
After playing Loyola Marymount are 8-2
After a win are 10-0
A few Gaels at Bulldogs trends to consider:
Gonzaga is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Gonzaga's last 8 games
Gonzaga is 11-4 SU in its last 15 games when playing St. Mary's
