Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. St. Mary’s Gaels – WCC Semis – injuries, odds, and more
PNWS presents what you need to know for the West Coast Conference Tournament Semifinal Game between the Gonzaga Bulldogs and St. Mary’s Gaels.
Gonzaga basketball fans will have to catch this game early as it’s the first of two WCC Tournament semifinals on Monday evening.
Who: St. Mary’s Gaels (14-8) vs. Gonzaga Bulldogs (24-0)
Where: Orleans Arena – Las Vegas, NV.
When: Monday, March 8, 2021 – 6:00 p.m. PST.
TV: ESPN. Announcers: Dave Flemming and Sean Farnham.
Line: Gonzaga -18. Over/Under: 141.5 (Odds Shark).
Injuries: Gonzaga – No injuries reported. St. Mary’s – No injuries reported.
Interesting Trends: Gonzaga is undefeated this year (24-0) but only .500 against the spread (11-11-2). They have won 16 of their last 20 and seven straight on neutral courts. The Zags have gone over the number in five straight.
St. Mary’s came into the West Coast Conference Tournament with only four wins in their last ten games. The Gaels are 5-5 this season, away from McKeon Pavillion. They have covered the spread once in their last six contests.
Last Head to Head – February 18 – No. 1 Gonzaga 87 – St. Mary’s 65
This one was over early. Gonzaga jumped out to a 10-point lead in under seven minutes. By halftime, the Zags held a commanding 51-24 lead. At one point in the second half, GU was up by as much as 38 before coach Mark Few emptied his bench.
Corey Kispert led the Bulldogs with 20 points and three rebounds. Joel Ayayi had 16 points (including 11 in the first half) and six rebounds. Drew Timme kicked in 12 points and four rebounds, and the third in the trio, Jalen Suggs, contributed eight points, five assists, and two rebounds. Back in the starting lineup, Andrew Nembhard had 10 points, two rebounds, and five assists.
Outlook
Oddsshark predicts the Gonzaga Bulldogs will win, cover, and go over. Hold your money on two of those three propositions. This game is far from a gimme.
Gonzaga might be a little rusty. They haven’t played since February 27, when they beat Loyola Marymount 86-69. Even if the starters aren’t rusty, the bench might be. Only 7 of 12 players had double-digit minutes. The other five played three minutes or less.
Few does a great job of preparing his team, but this is a “trap game.” The big matchup is Tuesday night. Brigham Young plays in the other semi and should secure a spot in the final. The Cougars sit just outside the Top-25 and have something to prove. Gonzaga has to make sure they stay focused don’t get caught looking ahead.
Last but not least, St. Mary’s beat GU in the 2019 WCC Tournament finals. Expect Gaels Coach Randy Bennett to remind his team that they have recently upset the Bulldogs at the same arena.
Gonzaga should win this game handily, but it won’t be as easy as some think.
Related Story: Zags are all in for awards season
We’ll have the results and our take on the game with Zags 360 later in the week.