No. 21 Saint Mary’s Gaels at Loyola Marymount Lions
Thursday, 1/26/12, 10:00 PM EST, TV: ESPN2
Opening Point Spread: Saint Mary’s -6.5
Current Betting Line: Saint Mary’s -7.5
Opening Total: 138.5
Current Total: 140
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Saint Mary’s has won nine games in a row since suffering a 72-59 setback to the Baylor Bears as three-point neutral-site underdogs on Dec. 22. The Gaels are coming off an impressive 93-77 win over Santa Clara as 11.5-point road favorites, while the “over” has cashed in four of their last six games. The program is the only one with an undefeated conference record in the West Coast Conference, but it will be tested mightily over the next two games against Loyola Marymount and BYU on the road. Saint Mary’s is 10-11 ATS in January games the last two-plus years.
The Gaels have become quite the program, being one of only eight teams nationally to have won at least 25 games in each of the last four seasons. Saint Mary’s leads the WCC in scoring defense, scoring margin and assist-to-turnover ratio. Junior guard Matthew Dellavedova is certainly a player to watch on the offensive end, leading the team in scoring, while pacing the conference in assists. With its 19-2 start, the Gaels have opened the season with the best record in school history.
Loyola Marymount returns from a perfect 2-0 road trip and will begin a four-game homestand with a key contest inside Gersten Pavilion in Los Angeles. The Lions have three starters that average in double figures, with sophomore guard Anthony Ireland leading the way in scoring 15.9 points per game. Strangely enough, the program is just 5-6 in front of the home fans this year, which is much different than its recent road success. The Lions have surrendered 71.4 points over their last five home games, which is a number that won’t cut it against tonight’s opponent. Loyola Marymount is 7-0 ATS versus conference opponents this year.
The Lions lead the WCC in free throw percentage, hitting 73.4 percent of their shots from the charity stripe. Loyola Marymount’s top six scorers all shoot better than 74 percent from the line, with Ireland ranking 14th in the conference at 76.4 percent. He is one of two players on the roster to play in every game this season and ranks second in the conference in playing 36.1 minutes per game.
Bettors will likely back the Gaels due to their 7-1 ATS mark as a road favorite of 7 to 12.5 points, while the Lions are 4-13 ATS when playing at home.
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