Gonzaga Bulldogs at St. Mary's Gaels Betting Preview

Opening Line: Gonzaga +3.5 / St. Mary's -3.5 O/U 153.5

Time: 11 PM EST Thursday January 14, 2010 on ESPN2

Tonight is a big West Coast Conference game St. Mary's Gaels host the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Both teams are playing well lately, as St. Mary's has won 5 games in a row and Gonzaga has won 4 in a row. Gonzaga has won the WCC 10 years in a row, but St. Mary's has been close the last few years and this year they are the Bulldogs' main challenger in the conference. If St. Mary's can win this game they will be atop the WCC and they will probably be ranked in the top 25.

This season St. Mary's is 6-0 at home and 12-3 ATS and Gonzaga is 2-1 on the road and 7-5 ATS.

Gonzaga won their WCC opener in their last game beating Portland 81-78 on Saturday night and St. Mary's beat Santa Clara 80-72 on Sunday.

Both teams are solid on both ends of the court, but the Gaels average more points per game, 82.5 to 78.6, and are holding their opponents to fewer points per game, 65.8 to 68.7.

Gonzaga has a very well-balanced offense with guards Matt Bouldin (15.4 ppg) and Steven Gray (13 ppg), F Elias Harris (14.1 ppg), and C Robert Sacre (11.7 ppg).

Bouldin was a thorn in the side of the Gaels last season in Gonzaga's 3 wins over St. Mary's, as he averaged 17.3 ppg.

St. Mary's also has a solid inside-outside game led by C Omar Samhan (20.8 ppg 10.9 rpg) and the trio of guards Matthew Dellavedova, Mickey McConnell, and Wayne Hunter, who are all averaging in double figures this season.

Robert Sacre is a legit 7-footer for the Bulldogs, but he has not been a scoring factor as of late not reaching double figures in 6 of his last 10 games. He has to play solid defense on 6'11" Omar Samhan, especially on the boards. Samhan is averaging 10.9 rpg and Sacre is only averaging 5.1 rebounds per game.

If Samhan has a big game scoring and on the boards the Bulldogs will be in trouble. However, he has only averaged 9.3 ppg in his last 4 games against Gonzaga.

Both teams are legit 3-point shooting teams, so each has to play solid perimeter defense.

Gonzaga is 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games, 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games, and 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games as a road underdog of 0.5-6.5. St. Mary's is 4-3 ATS in their last 17 games, 8-0 ATS in their last 8 games as a home favorite of 0.5-6.5, and 2-5 ATS in their last 7 against teams in the West Coast Conference.

Our Selection : The Gales have been playing solid defense this season, but haven't faced any team in Zaga's class this season. The step up in class will be too much. Take Gonzaga +3.5


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