NCAAB: #12 Grand Canyon vs #5 St. Mary’s Odds, and Picks (Mar 22)

• Grand Canyon enters the tournament with a 29-4 record, after winning the WAC.
• St. Mary‘s took down Gonzaga, 69-60, in the West Coast Conference title game.
• These two teams last met on March 1, 2016, in a game that St. Mary’s won 73-64.

The NCAA Tournament is officially underway! Let’s take a look at this matchup between the Grand Canyon Antelopes and the St. Mary’s Gaels. The Gaels won the WCC this year, and will be aiming to avoid an upset against a dangerous Grand Canyon squad.

How to Watch

• truTV

Preview

Grand Canyon had an excellent season, finishing in the top-50 in the NET Rankings. They picked up a signature non-conference win against San Diego State, and went 2-0 against WCC opponents. They’ll aim to improve that mark to 3-0 in this game against St. Mary’s. The Antelopes are led on offense by DePaul transfer Tyon Grant-Foster, who averages just under 20 points per game. He has reached double figures in 13 consecutive games, and will be the key to their chances of beating St. Mary’s.

St. Mary’s started the season out just 3-5, and has gone 23-2 since then. On one hand, this indicates that the Gaels are one of the hottest teams of the country and playing their best basketball of the season. On the other hand, an argument could be made that St. Mary’s poor non-conference record is a better indicator than their excellent record in WCC play. The Gaels face a dangerous 12-seed in Grand Canyon, and will be relying on their defense to wear the Antelopes down.

Prediction

The most popular upset to pick in March Madness is the 12-5, as it often features some of the best mid-major teams in the country. Grand Canyon is no exception, seeking their 30th win of the season in this game. I’m a bit concerned that St. Mary’s has been lulled to sleep after months of WCC competition. If the Antelopes come out of the gate hot, they could run away with this game. St. Mary’s defense will be key, but I ultimately like Grand Canyon to pull off the upset here.

NCAAB Picks:

• Grand Canyon 72, St. Mary’s 68 (GCU +5.5)