Basketball Betting Pick: San Diego Toreros at Saint Mary's Gaels
Thursday, February 02, 2012
by Joe Rodriguez
Murray State is getting all the headlines, but among mid-major teams, No. 16 Saint Marys Gaels might be the one that can make the most noise in March. The Gaels have been blowing teams out by an average of 12.8 points during their current 11-game winning streak and just won three straight on the road.
The West Coast Conference team that has come the closest to knocking off Saint Mary's has not been usual suspects Gonzaga or BYU, but San Diego.
The San Diego Toreros came within 78-72 of beating the Gaels at home on Jan. 5 and will get one more chance when they visit Saint Mary's on Thursday.
San Diego has traded wins and losses over its last six games, a vast improvement over the six-game slide that proceeded the current stretch.
- San Diego Toreros @ Saint Marys Gaels
When: 10:00 PM ET, Thursday, February 2, 2012
Where: McKeon Pavilion, Moraga, California
TV: 10 p.m. ET, smcgaels.com
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Justbet Sportsbook currently have the Gaels listed as 19-point favorites versus the Toreros.
San Diego Toreros (8-13): The Toreros upset then-No. 23 Saint Mary's 74-66 last February and confounded the Gaels with their freshman backcourt of Johnny Dee and Christopher Anderson in the first meeting this season. But in the end, it was San Diego transfer and Saint Mary's senior Rob Jones who pulled it out against his old school with 31 points and 12 rebounds. Stopping teams on the inside has been the most difficult thing for the Toreros, who rank 307th nationally in rebounding.
Saint Mary's Gaels (21-2): The big news this week came when it was announced that the Gaels had drawn Murray State in the Bracketbusters event later this month. With that and a trip to Gonzaga looming, Saint Mary's will have to work to not overlook San Diego. The Gaels have excelled on both ends of the floor in conference play, leading in scoring defense (60.3) and ranking second in scoring offense (76.7). Saint Mary's is 14-0 at home this season behind senior Jones and junior Matthew Dellavedova.
1. The Gaels own a 37-35 edge in the all-time series.
2. Jones has a streak of four straight double-doubles come to an end with 13 points and nine boards Saturday.
3. Dee needs to 32 points to break San Diego’s freshman scoring record.
BASKETBALL PREDICTION: Gaels 79, Toreros 53.
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christopher anderson - johnny dee - matthew dellavedova - mckeon pavilion - rob jones - saint marys gaels - san diego toreros
