On Saturday night the #23 Gonzaga Bulldogs (23-6, 13-2) head to Moraga to face the #17 Gaels of Saint Mary’s (24-6, 15-0) in a battle between the top two teams in the WCC. Saint Mary’s wrapped up the conference on Thursday night, and Gonzaga is guaranteed to finish second but needs a win to feel safe in the Tournament.
#23 Gonzaga Bulldogs at #17 Saint Mary’s Gaels Betting Odds
| Team | Spread | Total | Money Line |
| Gonzaga Bulldogs | +2.5 (-110) | O141 (-112) | +120 |
| Loyola Chicago Ramblers | -2.5 (-110) | U141 (-108) | -142 |
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Match Details
Fixture: #23 Gonzaga Bulldogs @ #17 Saint Mary’s Gaels
Date/Time: Saturday, March 2, 2024; 10:00 pm EST (ESPN)
Venue: University Credit Union Pavilion, Moraga, CA
Team Stats:
Gonzaga Bulldogs
PPG: 86.1
FG%: 51.9%
3-Point FG%: 34.7%
FT%: 72.1%
Rebounds: 40.0
Assists: 16.2
Turnovers: 10.3
PPG Allowed: 69.1
Steals: 7.0
Blocks: 4.1
Fouls: 15.9
Saint Mary’s Gaels
PPG: 70.7
FG%: 45.5%
3-Point FG%: 36.5%
FT%: 69.4%
Rebounds: 35.3
Assists: 12.5
Turnovers: 10.7
PPG Allowed: 60.1
Steals: 6.8
Blocks: 3.5
Fouls: 16.6
Projected Starting Lineups
Gonzaga Bulldogs
PG – Ryan Nembhard (12.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 6.3 apg)
G – Nolan Hickman (14.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 2.6 apg)
SF – Anton Watson (14.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.6 apg)
F – Ben Gregg (8.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.2 apg)
F – Graham Ike (16.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.0 apg, 0.7 bpg)
Saint Mary’s Gaels
PG – Augustas Marciulionis (12.5 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.6 apg, 0.8 spg)
G – Aidan Mahaney (13.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.6 apg)
G – Alex Ducas (9.9 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1.8 apg)
F – Mason Forbes (4.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 0.4 apg)
C – Mitchell Saxen (11.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.5 apg, 1.4 bpg)
Gonzaga at Saint Mary’s Game Prediction
Gonzaga (23-6, 13-2) has a great record but is in deep trouble leading up to Selection Sunday. They don’t have many quality wins and are only 1-5 against ‘Quad 1’ competition. The Zags have played well on the road however and have only lost twice on the road all year. They also lost the previous game against Saint Mary’s this year which is why the Gaels were able to lock up the WCC already.
Saint Mary’s (24-6, 15-0) is undefeated in conference play after they limped into the WCC with a 9-6 record. Their undefeated conference record allowed them to already lock up the regular season conference title. Are they going to be motivated because of that? It’s Gonzaga so the answer should be yes. The Gaels have only lost twice at home this season and the last time was before conference play started to Missouri State.
These two teams know each other very well and play like complete opposites. Gonzaga’s focus is on offense while Saint Mary’s is focused on defense. The urgency is going to be more on Gonzaga in this game and for that reason, they win the game in a very close matchup.
