Gaels vs. Bulldogs Prediction
A familiar matchup is on tap tonight in the West Coast Conference Tournament championship game as the second-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs take on the rival Saint Mary's Gaels. Is a bet on underdog Saint Mary's the right way to go in this spot?
Game Snapshot
619 Saint Mary's Gaels vs. 620 Gonzaga Bulldogs
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Orleans Arena at 9PM ET
TV: ESPN
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According to oddsmakers, the Bulldogs are a 9-point favorite on the spread line. The over-under is set at 143.5 points. As of Tuesday morning, 51 percent of public bets are siding with Gonzaga. Check out our College Basketball Public Betting Page for the latest updates.
Ford wins it for Gaels
Jordan Ford drained a jumper with 1.4 seconds remaining Monday night as Saint Mary's downed BYU 51-50 in the semifinals of the West Coast Conference Tournament. The Gaels (26-7) outscored the Cougars 31-24 in the second half after trailing by six at the break. Ford paced Saint Mary's with 18 points on 7-of-15 shooting including 2-of-5 from 3-point distance plus 2-of-2 at the free throw line. He also notched four rebounds and two steals. Dan Fotu added 10 points and two boards.
Bulldogs hold off Dons
Gonzaga secured an 81-77 victory over San Francisco Monday night in the semifinals of the West Coast Conference Tournament to improve to 30-2 on the season. The Bulldogs led 40-35 at halftime and continued to maintain control after the break. Killian Tillie led Gonzaga with 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting including 1-of-4 from 3-point range plus 6-of-9 at the charity stripe. He also reigstered 10 rebounds and two steals. Ryan Woolridge accounted for 16 points and three boards. Filip Petrusev tallied 14 points, seven caroms and three assists. Joel Ayayi added 14 points and nine rebounds.
College Basketball Betting Trends
Saint Mary's
The Gaels are 3-1-1 ATS in their last five games overall. Saint Mary's is 6-13 ATS in its last 19 games as an underdog.
Gonzaga
The Bulldogs are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games overall. Gonzaga is 0-5 ATS in its last five neutral site games.
Prediction:
This is the fourth time in the last five years the Gaels and Bulldogs will meet in the conference tournament title game. Last season saw Saint Mary's clinch the automatic bid by besting Gonzaga by a count of 60-47. While this is a bit of a revenge spot for the Zags, they probably got a lot of it out of their system when they blasted the Gaels by 30 on the road and then by 10 at home 10 days ago. Look for a hard-fought challenge from Saint Mary's as the smooth offensive game of Ford shines once again and keeps his squad in it throughout. I'm taking the points here as Gonzaga has not played all that great on neutral courts lately.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: SAINT MARY'S GAELS +9