St. Mary’s vs Missouri State 12/22/21 College Basketball Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Missouri State Bears will travel to University Credit Union Pavilion to take on the Saint Mary’s Gaels this Wednesday night in College Basketball action.

The Missouri State Bears won their 4^th straight game and improved to 8-4 on the season after defeating the Central Arkansas Bears, 106-70, this past Saturday. Missouri State was lights out offensively against Central Arkansas and had no trouble securing the victory after going into halftime with a 45-30 lead. Missouri State shot 53.4% from the field & 50.0% from beyond the arc while allowing Central Arkansas to shoot 43.9% from the field & 16.7% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Bears was Isiaih Mosley who had 28 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, & 3 steals.

On the season, Missouri State is averaging 80.2 ppg on 41.9% shooting from the field. The Bears are averaging 9.5 three-pointers per game on 38.6% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Missouri State has been led by Isiaih Mosley (17.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.3 spg), Gaige Prim (16.2 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.6 bpg), Jaylen Minnett (13.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.4 spg), & Ja’Monta Black (10.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.1 apg).

Defensively, Missouri State is allowing their opponents to average 67.7 ppg on 41.9% shooting from the field. The Bears have a rebound margin of 3.4 and a turnover margin of 1.5.

The Saint Mary’s Gaels had their 2-game winning streak snapped and dropped to 10-3 on the season after being defeated by the San Diego State Aztecs, 63-53, this past Friday night. Saint Mary’s struggled on the offensive end against the tough San Diego State defense and could not fight back after an 8-0 Aztecs run gave San Diego State a 57-48 lead with 3:38 left in regulation. Saint Mary’s shot just 36.5% from the field & 25.0% from beyond the arc while allowing San Diego State to shoot 42.6% from the field & 70.0% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Gaels was Tommy Kuhse who had 13 points, 3 rebounds, & 2 assists.

On the season, Saint Mary’s is averaging 66.9 ppg on 45.8% shooting from the field. The Gaels are averaging 7.2 three-pointers per game on 33.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Saint Mary’s has been led by Matthias Tass (11.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.0 bpg), Dan Fotu (11.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg), Tommy Kuhse (9.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3.5 apg), & Logan Johnson (8.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.8 spg).

Defensively, Saint Mary’s is holding their opponents to an average of 58.0 ppg on 40.3% shooting from the field. The Gaels have a rebound margin of 5.9 and a turnover margin of -0.1.

The Bears are 4-0-1 ATS in their last 5 road games following three or more consecutive home games and 6-1 ATS in their last 7 Wednesday games. The Gaels are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a ATS loss, however, are just 2-5 ATS in their last 7 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.

Missouri State has been solid on both ends of the court this season, however, they have been led by their offense that comes into this game ranked 39^th in scoring offense, 39^th in FG%, & 24thin 3P-FG%. Saint Mary’s has been great defensively this season as they come into this game ranked 17^th in scoring defense & 66^th in rebound margin, however, the Gaels at times have struggled to put up points as they currently rank just 281^st in scoring offense.

Saint Mary’s is a tough team to play on the road, however, I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen from Missouri State recently in wins against Oral Roberts & South Dakota State and as I think the Bears offense will be able to keep this game competitive, I think the play here is to take Missouri State and the points. Good Luck!