The No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs remain unimpeded on their way to an immaculate record at the end of the regular season. There’s just no team out there who’s made the Bulldogs sweat. But could the Saint Mary’s Gaels catch the Bulldogs on a very bad day and score a massive upset victory?
Saint Mary’s is coming off a tough 60-58 loss to the Pepperdine Waves last Saturday on the road, which prevented the Gaels from a three-game win streak. Prior to that, the Gaels had back-to-back wins over the Loyola-Marymount Lions (65-51) and the San Francisco Dons (67-63), both on the road. The game against Pepperdine was the Gael’s first in three weeks, as they had to deal with postponements due to COVID-19-related issues. With that seemingly behind them now, the Gaels will look to be competitive against Gonzaga, which defeated them back on Jan. 16 at home, 73-59. Although they lost to Gonzaga, the Gaels at least managed to cheer their bettors by covering the spread as 16-point home underdogs. Saint Mary’s is averaging just 66.4 points per game, but the Gaels have a +4.6 average score margin because of their defense that’s allowing opponents to score just 61.8 points per game. Saint Mary’s is No. 1 in the WCC with an 11.3 non-steal turnover percentage by opponents.
Saint Mary’s is 3-1 against the spread in its last four road games.
Gonzaga destroyed San Francisco in a 100-61 road win last Saturday to extend the Bulldogs’ unbeaten streak to start the season. The Bulldogs shot an insane 61.0 percent from the field and went 10 of 21 from behind the arc. Gonzaga played like the Dons’ defense did not exist. Drew Timme had 28 points on 11-of-12 shooting from the field, while Jalen Suggs had an all-around game, finishing with 11 points, five rebounds, five assists, and two steals. That kind of offense is no longer surprising for those who’ve followed Gonzaga this season. The Bulldogs are No. 1 in the nation in scoring offense with 93.0 points per game on 55.1 field goal percentage — also the best in the nation. In the January win, Gonzaga shot 53.8 percent from the field even though the Bulldogs made just four of 11 attempts from long range. At this point, it should be expected that the Bulldogs are going to shoot at least 50 percent from the field every game.
Gonzaga is 3-1-1 against the spread in its last five home games.
