The West Coast Conference’s automatic NCAA Tournament berth is on the line Tuesday night as Associated Press No. 17 Saint Mary’s takes on No. 1 Gonzaga in a chalk championship game. Which way to lean at BMR’s top-rated sportsbooks?
Saint Mary’s Gaels vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs
Tuesday, March 08, 2022 – 09:00 PM EST at Orleans Arena
ESPN has the telecast of the West Coast Conference Tournament final, the NCAAB matchup we were all expecting. GU is 62-16 all-time in the WCC Tournament with 19 titles and 27 finals appearances. This is the school’s 25th straight finals appearance. The Zags are 29-3 in the tournament since 2009, when the event moved to Las Vegas. Last year in the finals, Gonzaga beat BYU 88-78.
Saint Mary’s is in the final for the first time since losing 84-66 to Gonzaga in 2020. The Gaels are 4-9 all-time in the championship game, last winning the title in 2019 when they upset the Zags 60-47.
The schools split in the regular season, each winning at home. They closed the regular season against one another and SMC won 67-57 at home to end the Bulldogs’ 17-game winning streak and beating a No. 1 team for the first time since knocking off the Bulldogs in the 2019 conference tournament title game. Saint Mary's had lost seven straight in the rivalry on NCAAB picks, including five in a row at home.
Gaels Hold off Santa Clara
Saint Mary’s (25-6) will be in the NCAA Tournament even with a blowout loss in this game but obviously could improve its seeding with an upset victory.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has the Gaels as a No. 6 seed currently in the Midwest Region and opening against No. 11 Loyola Chicago, while CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm has SMC as a No. 5 seed in the East and playing a First Four No. 12 seed winner in the first round. To make the Final Four, Saint Mary’s is +2000 at BMR’s top rated books.
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It advanced with a hard-fought 75-72 victory over a good Santa Clara team on Monday, although Saint Mary’s saw an 11-point lead with 7:09 left drop to one in the final minute. Santa Clara’s Jalen Williams had a jumper in the final seconds for the potential win but was blocked from the side by Logan Johnson. He grabbed the loose ball, was fouled and hit both free throws.
WCC Sixth Man of the Year and first-team All-WCC Tommy Kuhse (he starts now) led the way with a season-best 27 points on 11-for-18 shooting with 5 rebounds and 4 steals. Fellow first-teamer Matthias Tass had 18 points on 8-for-11 shooting with 7 rebounds. Johnson, a second-teamer, had 14 points, 7 rebounds and that key block.
It’s the 13th time in school history that Saint Mary’s has won at least 25 games. Coach Randy Bennett’s squad is among the best in the nation defensively in allowing 59.8 ppg. Bennett was named the WCC's Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career.
SMC is now 22-9 when playing in the WCC Tournament inside Orleans Arena, including three WCC Championships (2010, 2012, 2019). The Gaels are 10-4-1 ATS on NCAAB odds in their past 15 games.
Zags Have No. 1 Seed Locked
Gonzaga (25-3) is going to be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament even with a loss here; the only damage a loss might do is knock the Zags from the No. 1 overall seed and in the West Region as it’s possible Arizona could replace GU if the Wildcats win the Pac-12 Tournament.
Both ESPN and CBS Sports currently have Gonzaga as the No. 1 in the West. It is -120 on the NCAAB futures odds to reach a second straight Final Four and +350 favorite to win the school’s first national title. I won’t be betting against this team.
The Zags didn’t cover a big number Monday in an 81-71 win over San Francisco, which was missing one of its best players in All-WCC forward Yauhen Massalski. The game was never much in doubt, though, as Gonzaga led by as many as 24 and somewhat took its foot off the gas, held without a field goal over the final 5:33.
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WCC Player of the Year Drew Timme had 27 points and WCC Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Chet Holmgren, the potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, had 17 points, 8 rebounds, 6 blocks and 3 steals. There’s just never been another guy like the 7-foot string bean before. The Bulldogs lead the nation in scoring offense (88.0) and scoring margin (22.8).
Gonzaga is 10-3 in the WCC Tournament finals played in Las Vegas and 19-8 in championship games in the event's history. The Zags' 25 straight finals appearances is the longest active streak of its kind in the nation. Gonzaga is 50-12 against SMC under Mark Few.
Saint Mary’s will have plenty of confidence after upsetting Gonzaga in the regular-season finale. I think the Gaels can hang within about 10 points so we’ll take these. The Bulldogs are just 1-4-1 ATS in their past six games.
NCAAB Pick: Saint Mary’s +12.5 (-110) at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
