Gonzaga Bulldogs vs St. Mary’s Gaels | Preview & Predictions | Sportsbookbuzz.com

COLLEGE BASKETBALL – THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2010

#17 Gonzaga Bulldogs (12-3) vs. St. Mary’s Gaels (15-2)

The No. 17 Gonzaga Bulldogs will hit the road for a West Coast Conference match up against a very good St. Mary’s Gaels squad at McKeon Pavilion in Moraga, CA. on Friday.

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Gonzaga went 3-0 against Saint Mary’s last season, finishing four games ahead of the Gaels in the WCC before beating them 83-58 in the league title game March 9, 2009. Gonzaga had lost three of four at Saint Mary’s prior to last year’s win. The Gaels last win over the ‘Dogs was on Feb 4, 2008 in an 89-85 overtime victory.

Saint Mary’s has finished second to Gonzaga in the regular season in five of the past six seasons, but this year could be the one where the Gaels could finally overtake the Bulldogs in the WCC. They have won five straight and 13 of 14, including an 80-72 win over Santa Clara on Sunday night. Big man Omar Samhan had 24 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in the win. The 6-11 senior is averaging 20.8 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game, but has struggled managing only 9.3 points a game over his last four games against the ‘Dogs. Freshman guard Matthew Dellavedova has stepped it up and has been outstanding on the perimeter averaging 13.4 points and 4.1 assists while shooting 42.0 percent from 3-point range. Dellavedova made 57.1 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc in his last four games.

This season the Bulldogs are seeking their 10th straight WCC regular-season title and rose two spots in the national rankings and are sitting one game back of the first place Gaels in the WCC after beating Portland 81-78 in its conference opener on Saturday night. Matt Bouldin had a team-high 20 points and nine assists in the win. He has five 20-point performances this season and two in his last four games against the Gaels. Bouldin also leads Gonzaga with 15.4 points and 4.4 assists per game. The ‘Dogs have also discovered they have a new weapon in recent weeks– freshman forward Elias Harris. Harris has averaged 18.5 points in his last four games and along with a 7-foot Robert Sacre makes a dynamic duo for the Gonzaga frontcourt.

The odds makers have St. Mary’s as –4-point favorites in this one.

Both teams match up better than ever and this should be a great contest between Bouldin and Samhan. I expect the Gaels to win this won at home by a narrow margin at home.

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