Grand Canyon vs. Saint Mary's Prediction: Can Aidan Mahaney, Gaels Start Hot in Round of 64?
The Saint Mary's Gaels will take on the Grand Canyon Antelopes in a 5 vs. 12 matchup to conclude the Round of 64. Can Aidan Mahaney and the Gaels get off to a hot start and find early success against the Antelopes? Ben Rajavuori breaks down this matchup and provides his first half betting pick in Grand Canyon vs. Saint Mary's.
Ben Rajavuori - March 22, 2024, 4:03 PM EDT
5 minGrand Canyon vs. Saint Mary's Prediction: Can Aidan Mahaney, Gaels Start Hot in Round of 64?
The last game of the first round features the Saint Mary's Gaels and Grand Canyon Antelopes. The Gaels enter this game as the 5-seed, while the Lopes are the 12-seed. The winner will go on to face the winner of Charleston/Alabama in the Round of 32. The Gaels are 5.5-point favorites in this game to take care of business as the higher seed. Can they get it done and advance?
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Grand Canyon vs. Saint Mary's DATE, TIME, WHERE TO WATCH
- Date: March 22, 2024
- Game Time: 10:05 pm ET
- Where to Watch: TruTV
Grand Canyon vs. Saint Mary's Prediction
The Gaels went 26-7 this season and beat Gonzaga to win the West Coast Conference tournament. The Gaels went 2-1 against top 25 opponents, and only lost one conference game all season. The Gaels are led by Aidan Mahaney, who scored 13.9 points per game this year. The strength of this Gaels' team this year was without a doubt their dominant defense. They ranked 2nd in the nation with just 58.7 points per game allowed.
The Antelopes went 29-4 this season, but had an easier strength of schedule. They only played one Quad-1 game all season, beating San Diego State at home. Grand Canyon went 12-1 in non-conference games this season, and got here by beating UT-Arlington in the WAC Tournament Championship. The Lopes are led by Tyon Grant-Foster, who scored 19.8 points per game this season. The Lopes play physical on offense, and won games this season by drawing a lot of fouls and getting offensive rebounds.
The way I am betting Saint Mary's in this game is by taking them to cover the first-half spread. Saint Mary's ranks second in the nation in first-half margin, thanks to their elite defense. They drop to 38th in second-half margin. Grand Canyon ranks 28th in first-half margin, but jumps all the way to 5th in the nation in second-half margin. Saint Mary's is one of the best first-half teams in the nation, while Grand Canyon is one of the best second-half teams in the nation. I like the Gaels' defense to frustrate the Lopes early in this game and take a healthy lead into halftime.
Grand Canyon vs. Saint Mary's Pick
Pick: Saint Mary's First Half -2.5 (-115) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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