St. Mary’s vs BYU 2/19/22 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The BYU Cougars will travel to University Credit Union Pavilion to take on the Saint Mary’s Gaels this Saturday night in College Basketball action.

The BYU Cougars won their 2^nd straight game and improved to 19-8 on the season after defeating the Pepperdine Waves, 91-85, this past Saturday. BYU was lights out on the offensive end against Pepperdine and was able to hold off the Waves for the victory after taking an 84-78 lead with 2:55 left in regulation. BYU shot 64.0% from the field & 65.2% from beyond the arc while allowing Pepperdine to shoot 58.9% from the field & 43.5% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Cougars was Alex Barcello who had 33 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist, & 1 steal.

On the season, BYU is averaging 73.8 ppg on 44.9% shooting from the field. The Cougars are averaging 8.3 three-pointers per game on 36.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, BYU has been led by Alex Barcello (17.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.0 spg), Te’Jon Lucas (10.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 4.7 apg, 1.1 spg), Fousseyni Traore (8.5 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.3 bpg), & Gideon George (7.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.3 apg).

Defensively, BYU is allowing their opponents to average 68.5 ppg on 42.1% shooting from the field. The Cougars have a rebound margin of 6.5 and a turnover margin of -1.8.

The Saint Mary’s Gaels improved to 21-6 on the season after defeating the San Francisco Dons, 69-64, this past Thursday. Saint Mary’s led by a 38-33 margin at halftime and was able pull away late for the victory after taking a 59-49 lead with 4:45 left in regulation. Saint Mary’s shot 43.3% from the field & 25.0% from beyond the arc while allowing San Francisco to shoot 41.4% from the field & 31.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Gaels was Tommy Kuhse who had 16 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, & 1 steal.

On the season, Saint Mary’s is averaging 70.1 ppg on 46.1% shooting from the field. The Gaels are averaging 7.4 three-pointers per game on 35.1% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Saint Mary’s has been led by Matthias Tass (12.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.0 apg), Tommy Kuhse (10.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.6 apg), Logan Johnson (10.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.6 apg, 2.2 spg), & Alex Ducas (10.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg).

Defensively, Saint Mary’s is holding their opponents to an average of 59.8 ppg on 42.5% shooting from the field. The Gaels have a rebound margin of 4.8 and a turnover margin of 1.7.

The Cougars are 0-8 ATS in their last 8 games overall & 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games following a straight up win. The Gaels are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 home games & 5-1-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a ATS win.

BYU has been able to pick up much-needed wins recently against Loyola-Marymount & Pepperdine, however, this is still a team that lost their previous 4 games, which includes a 76-73 loss against a below average Pacific team. St. Mary’s has an outstanding defense that ranks 10^th in scoring defense and as the Gaels have been unbeatable at home this season, posting a 14-0 record, I think St. Mary’s does enough in this one to cover this mid-range home spread. Good Luck!