Latest news with #WCCTournament
CBS News
21-03-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Saint Mary's climbs back out of shooting slump to top Vanderbilt, 59-56
Saint Mary's Gaels came from behind and hung on for a win against the Vanderbilt Commodores moving on with a 59-56 win in the first round of the NCAA East Region of the March Madness men's basketball tournament. Saint Mary's (28-5) came into the game at Cleveland's Rocket Arena as the No. 7 seed against the No. 10 Commodores (20-12) and were 4.5-point favorites. The Gaels won the West Coast Conference regular-season title but lost to Gonzaga in the WCC Tournament title game. Vanderbilt finished ninth in the Southeastern Conference, but faced much stronger competition throughout the season. The Commodores, led by first-year head coach Mark Byington, are/were making their first March Madness tournament appearance since 2017, while Randy Bennett is in his 24th year as the Gaels head coach. The Gaels were hamstrung in the first half by their continued lack of a 3-point game. Saint Mary's shot 34.6% shooting in the opening half (9-of-26). Vanderbilt led by as many as 12 points before Saint Mary's led a steady comeback while WCC Player of the Year Augustas Marciulionis sat on the bench after picking up his fourth foul just 3 minutes into the second half. With 8:48 left, Marciulonis returned and his 3-pointer with 6:40 left gave Saint Mary's its first lead of the game. Vandy's Jason Edwards tied it up with a 3, but Marciulionis immediately hit another 3 to put the Gaels back in front with 4:23 left. Luke Barrett buried a 3 at 2:03 to extend the lead to 6, the largest lead of the game for the Gaels. The Gaels will now meet top-seeded Alabama in the round of 32.
USA Today
20-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
March Madness: Georgia vs. Gonzaga odds, picks and predictions
The No. 8 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs (25-8) and the No. 9 Georgia Bulldogs (20-12) meet Thursday at INTRUST Bank Arena in an NCAA Tournament Midwest Region first-round game in Wichita, Kansas. Tip-off is scheduled for approximately 4:35 p.m. ET (TBS) Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's lines around the Gonzaga vs. Georgia odds, and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions. We've grown accustomed to Gonzaga having a much higher seed in recent seasons. In fact, its No. 8 seed is the lowest since it was an 11-seed in 2016. It won 2 games in the NCAA Tournament, going to the Sweet 16 that season, before bowing out. Gonzaga has lofty standards, and it has won at least 2 games in each of the past 9 NCAA Tournaments it has appeared. While this team might not be as dominant as usual, it still has star power. F Graham Ike averaged a team-best 17.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, while G Khalif Battle averaged 13.2 PPG. G Nolan Hickman chipped in with 11.0 PPG and a sparkling 43.6% shooting percentage from behind the arc, while G Ryan Nembhard had 10.8 PPG to go along with a team-best 9.8 assists per game. Gonzaga enters the NCAA Tournament on a heater, winning 9 of its past 10 games, including a 58-51 victory over the Saint Mary's Gaels in the WCC Tournament title game. Gonzaga is a healthy 5-2 against the spread (ATS) in the past 7 games, too. For Georgia, it is one of a record 14 SEC teams to make the field of 68. The Dawgs spent some time in the rankings, but tumbled out after a 4-game losing skid from Jan. 15-25. Of course, all 4 of those losses were against top-tier SEC teams Arkansas, Auburn, Florida and Tennessee. It all starts with F Asa Newell on offense, as he was good for team highs of 15.3 PPG and 6.8 RPG. UGA doesn't have the depth of Gonzaga, but G Silas Demary is a nice secondary scoring option with 13.4 PPG and a decent 37.6% mark from behind the 3-point line. Georgia won its final 4 regular-season games, while covering the final 5 outings. However, it was quickly dispatched in the SEC Tournament by fellow 9-seed the Oklahoma Sooners, falling 81-75 as a 3.5-point favorite as the Over (146.5) cashed. The Over is 5-2 in the past 7 for UGA. – Rankings: USA TODAY Sports Men's Basketball Coaches Poll THE BRACKETS ARE BACK! The USA TODAY Sports Bracket Challenge is back! $1 MILLION grand prize for a perfect bracket, $25,000 prize for top bracket. Free to enter, 21+. Terms apply, void where prohibited by law. See Official Rules. Play now! Georgia vs. Gonzaga odds Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 11:19 p.m. ET. Moneyline (ML) : Gonzaga -285 (bet $285 to win $100) | Georgia +230 (bet $100 to win $230) : Gonzaga -285 (bet $285 to win $100) | Georgia +230 (bet $100 to win $230) Against the spread (ATS) : Gonzaga -6.5 (-110) | Georgia +6.5 (-110) : Gonzaga -6.5 (-110) | Georgia +6.5 (-110) Over/Under (O/U): 149.5 (O: -115 | U: -105) Can you survive? USA TODAY Sports' Men and Women's Basketball Tournament Survivor Pools are here with a $2,500 prize for each contest! Free to enter, 21+. Terms apply, void where prohibited by law. See Official Rules. Play now! Georgia vs. Gonzaga picks and predictions Prediction Gonzaga 76, Georgia 72 Gonzaga (-285) will cost you nearly 3 times your potential return. While the Zags have won at least 2 games in the NCAA Tournament in 9 straight appearances, you can't risk this much for such a small return. AVOID, and look to the spread instead. GEORGIA +6.5 (-110) is worth a look catching more than 3 buckets. The SEC was stout this season, and the Dawgs did a good job covering the spread lately. They covered 5 of the past 6 games, including an outright win over the No. 1 seed Florida Gators in Athens on Feb. 25 (88-83). Gonzaga -6.5 (-110) is on a decent run itself, going 5-2 ATS in the past 7 games. The Zags are just 3-3 ATS in the past 6 first-round games, however. UNDER 149.5 (-105) is the lean, but go with a half-unit play most. While the Over is 5-2 in the past 7 games for Georgia, those 2 Under have happened in the past 3 outings. Gonzaga has hit the Over at a 3-1 clip in the past 4 games, but the Under is 7-4 across the past 11 outings. Play our free daily Pick'em Challenge and win! Play now! For more sports betting picks and tips, check out and BetFTW. Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook. College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group: Alabama / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / Duke / Florida / Florida State / Georgia / Iowa / Kentucky / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / UCLA / USC / Washington / Wisconsin / College Sports Wire / High School / Recruiting
CBS News
11-03-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
No. 19 Saint Mary's back in WCC Tournament final after defeating Pepperdine 74-59
Augustas Marciulionis and Paulius Murauskas each scored 15 points and No. 19 and top-seeded Saint Mary's defeated No. 9 seed Pepperdine 74-59 in the West Coast Conference Tournament semifinals Monday night. The Gaels (28-4) play second-seeded Gonzaga — which defeated No. 3 San Francisco 85-76 — in the championship game Tuesday night, with the winner receiving the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Defending tournament champion Saint Mary's, which has won seven consecutive games and 17 of 18, won't have to sweat out making the Big Dance for the fourth time in a row. Luke Barrett added 13 points for the Gaels. Pepperdine (13-22) made an unlikely run, beating three higher-seeded teams to set up this meeting. Moe Odum led Pepperdine with 19 points and Stefan Todorovic scored 10. This is the fourth consecutive WCC Tournament final for Saint Mary's, which lost twice to Gonzaga before beating the Bulldogs 69-60 last year to end their run of four conference championships and 10 of 11. The Gaels are making their sixth appearance in the title game in the past seven years. Takeaways Pepperdine: Odum carried the Waves to the semifinals with 15-plus points and 10-plus assists each of the first three games. But after scoring 12 points in the first 12 minutes of this game, Odum didn't score again for more than 14 minutes. Saint Mary's: The Gaels outscored Pepperdine 46-26 in the lane. Key moment Pepperdine went 5:29 in the first half without a field goal and Saint Mary's took a 39-27 lead. Key stat Saint Mary's improved to 24-0 when scoring at least 70 points. The Gaels also have held 27 of 32 opponents to less than 70. Up next Saint Mary's plays Gonzaga in the title game. Pepperdine's season is over.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
No. 19 Saint Mary's back in WCC Tournament final after defeating Pepperdine 74-59
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Augustas Marciulionis and Paulius Murauskas each scored 15 points and No. 19 and top-seeded Saint Mary's defeated No. 9 seed Pepperdine 74-59 in the West Coast Conference Tournament semifinals Monday night. The Gaels (28-4) play second-seeded Gonzaga or No. 3 San Francisco in the championship game Tuesday night, with the winner receiving the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Defending tournament champion Saint Mary's, which has won seven consecutive games and 17 of 18, won't have to sweat out making the Big Dance for the fourth time in a row. Luke Barrett added 13 points for the Gaels. Pepperdine (13-22) made an unlikely run, beating three higher-seeded teams to set up this meeting. Moe Odum led Pepperdine with 19 points and Stefan Todorovic scored 10. This is the fourth consecutive WCC Tournament final for Saint Mary's, which lost twice to Gonzaga before beating the Bulldogs 69-60 last year to end their run of four conference championships and 10 of 11. The Gaels are making their sixth appearance in the title game in the past seven years. Take aways Pepperdine: Odum carried the Waves to the semifinals with 15-plus points and 10-plus assists each of the first three games. But after scoring 12 points in the first 12 minutes of this game, Odum didn't score again for more than 14 minutes. Saint Mary's: The Gaels outscored Pepperdine 46-26 in the lane. Key moment Pepperdine went 5:29 in the first half without a field goal and Saint Mary's took a 39-27 lead. Key stats Saint Mary's improved to 24-0 when scoring at least 70 points. The Gaels also have held 27 of 32 opponents to less than 70. Up next Saint Mary's plays Gonzaga or San Francisco in the title game. Pepperdine's season is over. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: and Mark Anderson, The Associated Press
Fox Sports
11-03-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
No. 19 Saint Mary's back in WCC Tournament final after defeating Pepperdine 74-59
Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Augustas Marciulionis and Paulius Murauskas each scored 15 points and No. 19 and top-seeded Saint Mary's defeated No. 9 seed Pepperdine 74-59 in the West Coast Conference Tournament semifinals Monday night. The Gaels (28-4) play second-seeded Gonzaga or No. 3 San Francisco in the championship game Tuesday night, with the winner receiving the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Defending tournament champion Saint Mary's, which has won seven consecutive games and 17 of 18, won't have to sweat out making the Big Dance for the fourth time in a row. Luke Barrett added 13 points for the Gaels. Pepperdine (13-22) made an unlikely run, beating three higher-seeded teams to set up this meeting. Moe Odum led Pepperdine with 19 points and Stefan Todorovic scored 10. This is the fourth consecutive WCC Tournament final for Saint Mary's, which lost twice to Gonzaga before beating the Bulldogs 69-60 last year to end their run of four conference championships and 10 of 11. The Gaels are making their sixth appearance in the title game in the past seven years. Take aways Pepperdine: Odum carried the Waves to the semifinals with 15-plus points and 10-plus assists each of the first three games. But after scoring 12 points in the first 12 minutes of this game, Odum didn't score again for more than 14 minutes. Saint Mary's: The Gaels outscored Pepperdine 46-26 in the lane. Key moment Pepperdine went 5:29 in the first half without a field goal and Saint Mary's took a 39-27 lead. Key stats Saint Mary's improved to 24-0 when scoring at least 70 points. The Gaels also have held 27 of 32 opponents to less than 70. Up next Saint Mary's plays Gonzaga or San Francisco in the title game. Pepperdine's season is over. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: and recommended
