VCU vs. Saint Mary’s Bracket Prediction: March Madness Odds
The Gaels return to the Big Dance for a second straight year pegged as the No. 5 seed in the West after claiming a share of first place in the West Coast Conference regular season standings with a 14-2 straight up record in conference play, and are now gunning for their fourth win in six First Round appearances. Pegged as the No. 12 seed, the Rams ride a nine-game win streak, but have fallen to defeat in four of five First Round contests.
The Gaels are listed as 4-point favourites in Friday afternoon’s contest, but with the Rams emerging as a strengthening -115 bet to cover. The total is pegged at just 123 in what is expected to be a low-scoring affair.
VCU vs. Saint Mary’s First Round NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
Friday afternoon’s matchup at MVP Arena in Albany, New York marks just the second all-time meeting between these teams. Saint Mary’s claimed an 85-77 victory when they faced the Rams in the First Round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament, covering as 4-point chalk while pegged as a 10-seed. The total finished well over 128.5 in that contest, fueling a trend that has seen the OVER pay out in each of VCU’s past five First Round contests.
VCU Rams (12)
The Rams have steadily gained momentum during their current 9-0 run, with eight of those victories coming by double-digit margins. That includes each of their three dominating victories on their way to the Atlantic 10 Tournament title, which they clinched with an impressive second-half comeback in a 68-56 win over Dayton in the final. Overall, the Rams have surrendered just 62.1 points per game during their 9-0 run, and rank 24th in the nation in opponent points allowed.
The dynamic duo of Adrian Baldwin Jr. and Jalen DeLoach have dominated at both ends of the court. The team’s leading scorer during the regular season, Baldwin averaged 13.3 points and 6.3 assists during the team’s march to the A10 Tournament crown. DeLoach is coming off one of the strongest performances of his collegiate career in the win over the Flyers. The sophomore big man tallied 13 points and 10 rebounds against Dayton for his fifth double-double of the season, and averaged a team-high 7.0 boards this season.
Saint Mary’s Gaels (5)
The Gaels fell just short of claiming sole possession of top spot in the WCC with a regular-season finale loss to Gonzaga, and were subsequently topped by the Zags in their last outing, a crushing 77-51 loss to the Zags in the WQCC Tournament final. The challenge now is for Saint Mary’s to rebound from that brutal beating in which they scored just 19 first-half points converted just 33.3% from the field. However, despite that shaky performance, it is unwise to underestimate this Gaels squad, particularly on defence. The Gaels have limited opponents to fewer than 60 points on nine occasions over their past 19 games, and sport the fifth-ranked defence in the nation this season.
This team also features a veteran lineup featuring three seniors and one junior with tournament experience, led by Logan Johnson. The senior guard remained productive in the face of Gonzaga’s onslaught last time out, tallying 20 points, and averaged 19 points per game in two outings at last season’s NCAA Tournament.
