The No. 12 Gonzaga Bulldogs (19-4, 8-1 WCC) and their sensational offense head to face the No. 18 Saint Mary’s Gaels (20-4, 9-0 WCC) and their superb defense on Saturday. Gonzaga blew out the Santa Clara Broncos 88-70 at McCarthey Athletic Center on Thursday, their third consecutive win.
Anton Watson was the standout player with 18 points. The Bulldogs remain second in the West Coast Conference. Saint Mary’s won their 11th in a row on Thursday at University Credit Union Pavilion, beating the San Francisco Dons 68-59.
Alex Ducas had 18 points and eight rebounds to lead the team. The Gaels remain first in the West Coast Conference. It’s the only meeting of the season between the teams. They last met in the West Coast Conference Tourney Championship when the Bulldogs clinched the title with an 82-69 victory at Orleans Arena in March 2022.
Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s split their regular season matchups last season, each team winning one. The Bulldogs got the win in the last meeting 82-69 at Orleans Arena in March 2022. Andrew Nembhard led the Bulldogs with 19 points and seven assists. Logan Johnson had 21 points in the loss.
The Bulldogs have been led this season by Drew Timme, who is averaging 21.1 points per game. Timme also is contributing 7.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Aidan Mahaney’s 14.8 points per game have powered the Gaels on offense. Mitchell Saxen is posting 8.3 rebounds per game, and Johnson is recording 3.8 assists.
The Bulldogs rank as the best in the NCAA in offensive efficiency, while the Gaels are fifth in defensive efficiency. The Bulldogs have dominated the last 10 visits to University Credit Union Pavilion, winning eight. In the last 10 games, Gonzaga is 9-1 with an average margin of +19.0 (91.5-72.5).
For the season, the Bulldogs are averaging 86.4 points per game, compared to 73.2 for opponents. Saint Mary’s has won each of the last 10 amid the team’s 11-game win streak, scoring 75.0 points per game on average while holding opponents to 56.9 (+18.1 margin). The Gaels are averaging 71.3 ppg for the full season while allowing 57.2.
BULLDOGS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Anton Watson: 24.6 | 18.7 | +5.9
Points per game:
Anton Watson: 14.2 | 10.9 | +3.3
Rebounds per game:
Anton Watson: 7.2 | 5.7 | +1.5
GAELS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Luke Barrett: 3.2 | 4.8 | -1.6
Points per game:
Logan Johnson: 16.0 | 12.2 | +3.8
SportsTips’ College Basketball Pick:
Saint Mary’s (-160)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
