The Saint Mary’s men’s basketball team proved last week that it has one of the most dominant frontcourts in the country.
The Gaels scored 94 points in the paint in wins over San Francisco and Washington State last week. Six-foot-8 power forward Paulius Murauskas and 6-foot-10 center Mitchell Saxen combined to rack up 75 points and 28 rebounds in the two games, and both finished the week with 24 points in the paint.
St. Mary’s (18-3, 8-0 WCC) is also dominant on the boards. The Gaels average 40.7 rebounds a night, which ranks No. 1 in the West Coast Conference and No. 17 in the country. They also average four blocked shots a game, which ranks No. 2 in the WCC.
That kind of dominance in the paint is a big part of why the Gaels have a commanding lead in the WCC. They’re just ahead of Gonzaga (16-6, 7-2) and San Francisco (17-6, 7-3).
St. Mary’s will defend its lead in the race for the regular-season conference championship and try to extend its winning streak to nine games at Santa Clara (14-8, 6-3 WCC) on Wednesday. The Gaels won the WCC title last season, snapping Gonzaga’s streak of seven straight titles.
Santa Clara, which is a little more than two weeks removed from its 103-99 upset of Gonzaga, is coming off an 83-69 loss at Oregon State on Saturday.
The Broncos are led by 6-foot-7 guard Adama-Alpha Bal, who is averaging 14 points a night. Seven-foot center Christoph Tilly is adding 13 points and 4.8 rebounds a night.
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Saint Mary’s at Santa Clara Betting Odds
Saint Mary’s is a 4.5-point college basketball betting odds favorite on BetMGM against Santa Clara, and the Over/Under is 139.5 points.
The Moneyline is -190 for St. Mary’s and +154 for Santa Clara.
Saint Mary’s at Santa Clara on TV
The West Coast Conference game featuring St. Mary’s and Santa Clara will be televised on ESPNU.
Tip-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET.
Saint Mary’s at Santa Clara Prediction
I predict St. Mary’s wins, 72-69.
The Gaels don’t just have the best group of big men in the WCC. They have what may be the deepest roster in the conference.
St. Mary’s has six players averaging at least nine points a game, including sophomore Jordan Ross, who has scored in double figures in four straight games for the first time in his career. The Gaels also have three players averaging at least 10 points and seven rebounds a game: Murauskas, Saxen, and 6-foot-6 redshirt senior Luke Barrett.
St. Mary’s is also home to the reigning WCC Player of the Year, point guard Augustas Marciulionis, who leads the team with 13.9 points a game and ranks No. 4 in the conference with 120 assists.
Santa Clara can score with anyone in the WCC. The Broncos rank No. 2 in the conference with 80.7 points a game. They have two players that have scored 1,000 career points: Johnny O’Neil and Carlos Stewart Jr. All five of their starters average more than 10 points a night, and the Broncos are averaging 27.3 points from the bench per game.
Santa Clara hasn’t faced a defense like St. Mary’s, though. The Gaels are giving up 61.3 points a game, which ranks No. 1 in the WCC and No. 7 in the country.
