While talk of the NHL trade deadline 2012 will dominate headline over the next 10 or 11 days, you should also have an eye on the world of college hoops, where there is an intriguing matchup brewing from the mid-majors. Saint Mary’s was rolling along, but have now dropped two of their last three as they prepare for Murray State, who was the last team in the country to lose a game and have already punched their ticket to the Tournament.
Saint Mary’s Murray State Odds – Saturday, 6:00 PM ET
The No.21 Gaels (23-4, 12-2 WCC) may have got caught looking ahead to Murray State, and a BetOnline.com review of their 75-60 home loss to Loyola Marymount shows that they were outscored by 10 in the second half and they couldn’t find the range from three-point land, where they were 6-of-28. Rob Jones had a huge night with 25 points and 15 rebounds, while Clint Steindl came off the bench for 12 points and five boards for the Gaels, who also turned the ball over 14 times to eight for Loyola Marymount. Saint Mary’s now has a lead of one game in the West Coast Conference, but their recent play can’t be encouraging to players that use price per head software.
The No.16 Racers (25-1, 13-1 WCC) jumped out to a 10-point halftime lead and then held on for a 75-66 win at Southeast Missouri State, and that was despite a poor game from leading scorer Isaiah Canaan, who was 2-of-11 from the field and finished with nine points. Donte Poole picked up the slack with a game-high 25 points, while Ivan Aska added 14 points and nine boards for the Racers, who were 22-of-28 from the foul line and free-throw shooting is a stat that March Madness betting players should really watch. It comes in handy in late-game situations, and the Racers made them when they needed to.
Murray State should be slight favorites at home in this contest, but they’re only 4-6 ATS at home this season, while the Gaels are 4-4 ATS on the road. These two have met twice, with Saint Mary’s taking both meetings: a 75-62 victory at home in December 2004, and then they romped to a 62-44 win in November 2006. The Racers have already booked their ticket to the Tournament as the win over Southeast Missouri State clinched the Ohio Valley Conference title for them, and now they’re just playing for momentum. A win over a team like Saint Mary’s would get some of the critics back on board, and the Gaels are extremely vulnerable right now. Take Murray State to pull out the college basketball betting picks win on Saturday.
