The 3-seed Santa Clara Broncos & 2-seed Saint Mary’s Gaels will square off at Orleans Arena this Monday night in the Semifinals of the West Coast Conference Tournament.
The 3-seed Santa Clara Broncos improved to 21-10 on the season after defeating the 6-seed Portland Pilots, 91-67, this past Saturday. Santa Clara dominated Portland on both ends of the court and had no trouble securing the victory after going into halftime with a 43-28 lead. Santa Clara shot 53.4% from the field & 48.1% from beyond the arc while holding Portland to just 35.2% from the field & 31.3% from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Broncos was Jalen Williams who had 24 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, & 1 block.
On the season, Santa Clara is averaging 78.3 ppg on 49.3% shooting from the field. The Broncos are averaging 7.4 three-pointers per game on 38.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Santa Clara has been led by Jalen Williams (17.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.2 spg), Josip Vrankic (15.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.2 rpg, 1.3 spg), Keshawn Justice (13.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 2.4 apg), & PJ Pipes (12.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.9 apg).
Defensively, Santa Clara is allowing their opponents to average 72.1 ppg on 42.9% shooting from the field. The Broncos have a rebound margin of 0.7 and a turnover margin of 0.2.
The 19th ranked St. Mary’s Gaels finished their regular season with an overall record of 24-6 and earned the 2-seed in the West Coast Conference Tournament after finishing conference play with a 12-3 record. St. Mary’s was led by their defense which currently ranks 7th in scoring defense, 115th in defensive FG%, & 76th in turnover margin, however, the Gaels have struggled a bit putting points up on the scoreboard as St. Mary’s rank just t-214th in scoring offense. St. Mary’s finished non-conference play with a 12-3 record with statement wins over Notre Dame & Oregon. Saint Mary’s was solid throughout conference play and picked up a highlight win after defeating the top-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs, 67-57, in their regular season finale.
On the season, Saint Mary’s is averaging 78.3 ppg on 49.3% shooting from the field. The Gaels are averaging 7.4 three-pointers per game on 38.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Saint Mary’s has been led by Matthias Tass (12.5 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.0 apg), Tommy Kuhse (11.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 3.6 apg), Logan Johnson (11.4 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.1 spg), & Alex Ducas (10.4 ppg, 3.7 rpg).
Defensively, Saint Mary’s is holding their opponents to an average of 59.4 ppg on 42.1% shooting from the field. The Gaels have a rebound margin of 4.4 and a turnover margin of 1.9.
The Broncos are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games overall & 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games following a ATS win. The Gaels are 6-3-1 ATS in their last 10 games & 19-9-1 overall on the season.
Santa Clara and St. Mary’s split their regular season series as the Broncos defeated the Gaels by a 77-72 margin at home in early February while the St. Mary’s defeated Santa Clara by a 73-65 margin at home in late January.
St. Mary’s comes into this game with a bunch of momentum after defeating Gonzaga, however, the Gaels can struggle to score the basketball. Santa Clara has the offense that can put up some points against the St. Mary’s defense and as I think the Broncos are going to give St. Mary’s everything that they can handle, I think the play here is to take Santa Clara and the points. Good Luck!