Merrimack Warriors vs St. Mary's Gaels Prediction, 12/19/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Merrimack Warriors vs St. Mary's Gaels

Date: Thursday, December 19, 2024

Location: University Credit Union Pavilion in Moraga, CA

TV: ESPN+

University Credit Union Pavilion is the location where the St. Mary's Gaels (9-2) will meet the Merrimack Warriors (5-7) on Thursday.

The Merrimack Warriors stepped onto the hardwood against Stanford and took a loss by a final of 74-68 in their last game. Merrimack ended the contest with a 43.6% field goal percentage (24 out of 55) and made 7 of their 25 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the charity stripe, the Warriors converted 13 of 17 attempts for a percentage of 76.5%. In regard to rebounding, they collected 29 with 5 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 7 assists in this matchup in addition to forcing the other team into 10 turnovers and earning 4 steals. In the matter of defending, Merrimack let their opponent shoot 44.6% from the floor on 25 out of 56 shooting. Stanford totaled 16 assists and had 6 steals in the matchup. Additionally, Stanford had 35 rebounds (9 offensive, 26 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Stanford walked away from this one shooting 65.0% from the charity stripe by burying 13 of 20 tries. They knocked down 11 out of their 23 attempts from distance. When it comes to fouls, the Warriors ended up with 17 while Stanford recorded 14 fouls.

Adam Clark is one player who was a contributor for this game. He ended up going 66.7% from the floor and also recorded 3 assists. He played for 36 minutes and collected 6 boards. He scored 32 points on 14 out of 21 shooting.

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Merrimack comes into this contest with a record of 5-7 for the season. They are losing possession via turnover 10.0 times per contest and as a team they are committing 17.3 fouls per contest. As a team, Merrimack is grabbing 29.8 boards per game and has tallied 121 assists on the season, which ranks 328th in D-1 in terms of passing. The Warriors are shooting 30.1% on three-point shots (81 of 269) and 75.6% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 63.2 pts per game (348th in D-1) while shooting 41.1% from the field.

When they are on the defensive end, the Warriors are forcing 13.3 turnovers per contest and they draw 13.8 fouls. They are 289th in college in giving up assists to their opponents with 165 surrendered on the campaign. The Warriors defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 41.5% (276 of 665) and they surrender 39.6 boards per contest as a team. They surrender 32.7% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 88th in college in PPG allowed (67.3).

When they last stepped on the court, the St. Mary's Gaels went home defeated by a final of 67-65 when they faced Boise State. The Gaels corralled 18 defensive boards and 9 offensive rebounds for a total of 27 for the contest. They also turned the ball over 7 times, while getting 4 steals in this game. Boise State committed 17 personal fouls in this game which took the Gaels to the charity stripe for 16 tries. They were able to knock down 13 of them for a percentage of 81.3%. With respect to shooting from distance, St. Mary's buried 6 out of 18 tries (33.3%). When all was said and done, the Gaels walked away from this one shooting 23 for 61 from the field which had them at 37.7%. The Gaels permitted Boise State to make 21 out of their 51 attempts from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 41.2% for this contest. They shot 28.6% from three-point range by going 4 of 14 and finished the game at 21 of 27 from the free throw line (77.8%). Concerning cleaning the glass, St. Mary's allowed Boise State to snag 34 overall (9 on the offensive glass).

Augustas Marciulionis ended up being a major contributor for the Gaels in this matchup. He buried 7 out of 16 in the matchup for a rate of 43.8%, and had 2 rebounds. He had 17 points in his 42 minutes on the hardwood and added 6 dimes for the matchup.

St. Mary's has a record of 9-2 on the campaign. On the offensive side of the ball, the Gaels are shooting 45.6% from the floor, which ranks them 164th in the nation. St. Mary's has tallied 838 pts so far this year (76.2 per game) and they average 42.1 rebounds per game. They are dishing out assists 15.5 times per contest (108th in the nation) and they cough up possession 11.4 times per game. The Gaels have committed 16.3 personal fouls per game and they go 67.2% from the charity stripe.

The St. Mary's defense allows 30.5% on shots from beyond the arc (64 of 210) and their opponents are connecting on 73.9% of their free throw attempts. They concede 11.6 dimes and 32.3 rebounds on a nightly basis, ranking them 90th and 76th in college. The Gaels on the defensive side of the court are 23rd in college hoops in PPG allowed with 63.4. They are able to force 12.0 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 38.8% from the field (28th in college hoops).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Merrimack

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