Free College Basketball Picks Today: Saint Mary's Gaels vs Pacific Tigers 2/23/23

The Pacific Tigers (13-16, 6-8 WCC) will try to break down one of the country’s top scoring defenses when they are on the road to face the No. 15 Saint Mary’s Gaels (24-5, 13-1 WCC) on Thursday.

Pacific was narrowly defeated by the Loyola Marymount Lions 90-88 at Albert Gersten Pavilion on Saturday, their third loss in a row away from home. Judson Martindale had a standout performance in the loss with 19 points. The Tigers are fifth in the West Coast Conference.

Saint Mary’s won their third in a row on Saturday at University Credit Union Pavilion, beating the BYU Cougars 71-65. Logan Johnson had 27 points and seven rebounds to lead the team. The Gaels are first in the West Coast Conference.

The Gaels got the win in the last meeting between the teams 58-46 at University Credit Union Pavilion in February 2021. Johnson led the Gaels with 17 points, while Matthias Tass added 15 points. Daniss Jenkins had 12 points in the losing effort.

Keylan Boone is averaging 13.5 points per game to lead the Tigers in scoring this season. Boone also has grabbed 3.9 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Moe Odum is dishing 3.6 assists.

Aidan Mahaney and Johnson have supplied much of the Gaels’ offense, averaging 15.1 and 13.8 points per game, respectively. Johnson also has recorded 3.6 assists per game.

Mitchell Saxen has posted 8.4 rebounds per game. The Gaels are one of the best scoring defenses in the NCAA, ranking fourth with 58.9 points per game allowed.

The Tigers have not found any success at University Credit Union Pavilion in recent seasons, winless in the last 10 visits. Pacific is 3-7 in the last 10 games with an average margin of -5.4 (79.8-85.2).

For the season, the Tigers are averaging 76.6 points per game, compared to 77.7 for opponents. Saint Mary’s has a 9-1 record over the last 10, scoring 71.9 points per game on average while allowing 61.4 (+10.5 margin).

TIGERS HOT/COLD

(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Moe Odum: 16.4 | 10.0 | +6.4
Tyler Beard: 9.0 | 14.3 | -5.3
Points per game:
Keylan Boone: 18.0 | 13.5 | +4.5
Tyler Beard: 5.6 | 9.1 | -3.5
Assists per game:
Moe Odum: 6.4 | 3.6 | +2.8
Tyler Beard: 1.8 | 2.6 | -0.8

GAELS HOT/COLD

(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Logan Johnson: 29.8 | 22.3 | +7.5
Luke Barrett: 0.8 | 4.3 | -3.5
Points per game:
Logan Johnson: 21.4 | 13.8 | +7.6
Assists per game:
Aidan Mahaney: 3.4 | 2.1 | +1.3