San Francisco Dons vs Saint Mary's Gaels Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/01/2022

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Saturday, January 1, 2022

Venue:  McKeon Pavilion, Moraga, CA

Where to Watch:  Stadium

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  SF +4, Saint Mary’s -4; Over/Under:  127 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  SF NL, Saint Mary’s NL; Over/Under:  NL points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  SF NL, Saint Mary’s NL; Over/Under:  NL points

 

San Francisco Dons:  13-1 (1st place, WCC)

Saint Mary's Gaels:  12-3 (4th place, WCC)

 

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San Francisco Dons:  4-1 last 5

Saint Mary's Gaels:  4-1 last 5

 

 

 

SF is coming into this game with a 13-1 record overall and they are 1-0 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. This will be their 1st conference matchup of the season. Their only loss this season was against the Grand Canyon Antelopes but they have gone on a 3 game winning streak since then with wins coming against the Arizona State Sun Devils, the Southern Illinois Salukis, and the Academy of Art Urban Knights in their last game. Khalil Shabazz and Jamaree Bouyea both led the team in points in that game with 18 each while Gabe Stefanini was next on the team with 17 points. Yauhen Massalski and Julian Rishwain off the bench both scored 12 points in that one as well. Massalski, Patrick Tape, and Bouyea all led the team in assists in that game with 4 each while Massalski led the team in rebounds himself with 9. They are 48% from the field, 38% from 3-point range, and 67.7% from the free throw line with their shooting this season. Their offense is averaging 76.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 63.1 PPG against them. SF has an ATS record of 4-9 this season and their O/U record is 5-8.

 

 

Saint Mary's is coming into this game with a 12-3 record overall and they are 9-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. This will be the 1st conference matchup on their schedule this season. They have won 4 of their last 5 games and are coming into this one on a 2 game winning streak after another win in their last game. Their last loss was against the San Diego State Aztecs while their 4 wins in that span came against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos, the Cal State Stanislaus Warriors, the Missouri State Bears, and the Yale Bulldogs in their last game. Logan Johnson led the team in points in that game with 26 while Alex Ducas was next on the team with 12 points. Matthias Tass also scored 10 points in that one as well. Johnson, Augustas Marčiulionis, and Dan Fotu all led the team in assists in that game with 3 each while Kyle Bowen and Fotu both led the team in rebounds with 7 each. They are 46.7% from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range, and 71.4% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 68.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 58.1 PPG against them. Saint Mary's has an ATS record of 9-5 this season and their O/U record is 5-9.

 

San Francisco is coming into this game as a 4 point underdog with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. SF only has 1 loss this season and they have already won a game on the road this season. This is their first conference game so they will be looking to make an impact in this game and get the win to keep their 1st place spot in the WCC. SF is allowing a little more points per game on defense than SMC is but SF is also scoring a lot more and with both teams playing well on defense, this could come down to the offense. The best bet to place in this game is on SF to cover the spread here as they will be able to keep up with their scoring and might even win the game straight up.

 

San Francisco Saint Mary's Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Saturday, January 1, 2022 (8:00 pm ET start time) is SF 78 SMC 72.

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San Francisco Dons: Will be posted soon.

Saint Mary's Gaels: Will be posted soon.

 

 

San Francisco Dons:  None.

Saint Mary's Gaels:  None.

 

 

“USF means a lot to me because they were the only program to give me a scholarship offer out of high school. I believe it’s only right I come back and finish my career as a Don. I believe in this coaching staff and what we are building, and there is more work to do. I took the time to pursue professional opportunities, but due to the pandemic the right fit did present itself, making this decision to return even easier.” - Jamaree Bouyea on coming back for another year.

 

 

“First half, I don’t know if we’ve ever shot it so poorly, 0-12 has to be one of our worst shooting halves. For them to come out in that second half, I think we shot 65 percent, we hit seven threes, made our free throws. And still on the defensive end, we held them under 40 percent. In the second half, our guys were awesome.” - Mickey McConnell after his team’s win against USU.

 

 

 

J. Bouyea 

Y. Massalski 

K. Shabazz 

G. Stefanini 

P. Tape

 

K. Bowen 

A. Ducas 

L. Johnson 

T. Kuhse 

M. Tass

 

 

PPG: J. Bouyea (17.8)

APG: J. Bouyea (3.9)

Reb/G: Y. Massalski (7.9)

 

PPG: M. Tass (12.5)

APG: T. Kuhse (3.5)

Reb/G: K. Bowen (6.5)

 

Coaches:

San Francisco Dons: Todd Golden (3rd season)

Saint Mary's Gaels: Randy Bennett (21st season)