A first-round tilt in the 2023 NCAA Touranament bracket has the No. 12 seed VCU Rams clashing with the No. 5 seed Saint Mary’s Gaels in the West Region on Friday. The Rams are red-hot and have won nine straight games heading into this bout. On Mar. 12, VCU topped Dayton 68-56 in the Atlantic 10 title game. Meanwhile, Saint Mary’s lost to Gonzaga 77-51 in the WCC championship game.
Tipoff from MVP Arena in Albany is set for 2 p.m. ET. The Gaels are 4-point favorites in the latest VCU vs. Saint Mary’s odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 123. Before locking in any Saint Mary’s vs. VCU picks, be sure to see the college basketball predictions and March Madness betting advice from SportsLine’s proven computer model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters the 2023 NCAA Tournament 79-53 on all-top rated college basketball picks this season, returning nearly $1,300 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on VCU vs. Saint Mary’s and just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are the college basketball odds and betting lines for VCU vs. Saint Mary’s:
- VCU vs. Saint Mary’s spread: Gaels -4
- VCU vs. Saint Mary’s over/under: 123 points
- VCU vs. Saint Mary’s money line: Gaels -195, Rams +162
- SMC: Gaels are 12-1 ATS in their last 13 games following a straight-up loss
- VCU: Rams are 4-0 ATS in their last four Friday games
- VCU vs. Saint Mary’s picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Saint Mary’s can cover
Senior guard Logan Johnson is an agile and smooth scorer. Johnson does a great job attacking the lane and finishing with either hand at the rim. The California native leads the team in points (14.7), assists (3.7) and steals (1.5). He’s scored at least 27 points in five of his last eight games. On Feb. 23 against Pacific, Johnson tallied 29 points, seven assists and two steals.
Senior guard Alex Ducas is a solid floor-spacing option on the perimeter. Ducas moves extremely well without the ball and excels in spot-up situations. The Washington native averages 12.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and shoots 42% from downtown. In the Gaels’ Mar. 6 game versus BYU, Ducas logged 23 points, seven rebounds and went 4 of 7 from 3-point land.
Why VCU can cover
Junior guard Adrian Baldwin Jr. is a superb playmaker and facilitator in the backcourt. Baldwin Jr. owns elite court vision and passing skills, leading the team in assists (5.9) to go with 12.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. The Maryland native has dished out at least six assists in seven of his last eight games. In his last outing against Dayton, he logged 16 points and seven assists.
Sophomore forward Jalen DeLoach has been a mobile and versatile player for the Rams. DeLoach can play multiple positions and be an active defender. The Georgia native averages 10 points, seven rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. On Mar. 12 against Dayton, DeLoach finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks.
How to make VCU vs. Saint Mary’s picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Over on the point total, projecting the teams to combine for 131 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits 60% of the time. You can only get the model’s pick at SportsLine.
So who wins VCU vs. Saint Mary’s? And which side hits 60% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.
