Saint Mary’s vs. VCU: 2023 NCAA Tournament Best Bets & Picks
March Madness is officially here! The 2023 NCAA Tournament Bracket has been announced, and the teams are lining up for the Big Dance. Let’s take a look at the early odds, preview, and predictions for the 2023 NCAA Tournament Round 1 game: Saint Mary’s vs. VCU.
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2023 March Madness Odds, Preview & Predictions: Saint Mary’s vs. VCU
Saint Mary’s vs. VCU Odds, Spread & Match Up Overview
- Saint Mary’s Spread: -4.5
- VCU Spread: +4.5
- Saint Mary’s Moneyline: -240
- VCU Moneyline: +200
- Game Over/Under: 120.5
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Saint Mary’s 2023 NCAA Tournament Betting Preview
The Gaels of Saint Mary’s were sent home with their tail tucked between their legs after a drubbing against Gonzaga in the WCC title game. Despite ranking 11th in KenPom, Saint Mary’s earned a five seed this March and, given their most recent game, will most likely be a team without too high of expectations this tournament. Still, Saint Mary’s reps a top 10 adjusted defense in the nation and play at one of the slowest paces in the nation. Games against Houston, Gonzaga, and San Diego State have prepped the Gaels for March, and they are good enough to ride their defense deep into the tournament.
This team swallows missed shots, so any opponent struggling will truly have a tough time keeping up against Saint Mary’s second-ranked defensive rebounding rate. Offensively, the Gaels rank 40th in the nation at adjusted efficiency – the perfect “good enough†number. They can shoot from the perimeter at a high clip and take care of the ball well. We’ll see if Saint Mary’s can have a short memory and reload for the tournament, despite their most recent loss.
VCU 2023 NCAA Tournament Betting Preview
The Rams of VCU rode their top 25 ranked defense through the A10 tournament and into March Madness with Mike Rhoades coaching in his third NCAA Tournament. The Rams only lost three times in conference play, twice by four points or less, and are riding a nine-game winning streak. VCU will cause turnovers, ranking top 10 in the nation at turnover percentage, and are a big team that won’t allow much near proximity. Any team that is lazy with the ball and doesn’t shoot from deep all too well is going to have a lot of problems against VCU.
Offensively, the Rams aren’t too flashy but depend on their top 10 ranked free throw rate to get teams into foul trouble and accrue points from the charity stripe. They need to take care of the ball better if they hope to make a deep tournament run, but their defense is a sustainable force that can easily push them through the first couple of rounds.
Saint Mary’s vs. VCU 2023 NCAA Tournament Predictions
The Saint Mary's Gaels had a rough go against Gonzaga in the West Coast Conference. But this team is still elite. The offense shot 36.7% from downtown and 50.9% from inside the arc. They've also been great on the glass on both sides of the ball and continue to win the turnover battle in most games.
On the other hand, VCU finished A-10 play with nine straight wins, including an A-10 Championship wins against Dayton. The Rams have dominated defensively, holding teams to 32.3% from three and 46.2% from inside the arc. VCU is a real threat from downtown, like St. Mary's, but both defenses will create tough looks. This will be a tight, defensive game, but I've got St. Mary's escaping a potential upset.
Saint Mary’s vs. VCU 2023 NCAA Tournament Picks
Saint Mary’s ML
More Round 1 & First Four Betting Picks & Predictions
South
- #16 Texas A&M-CC vs. #16 Southeast Missouri St. (First Four)
- #8 Maryland vs. #9 West Virginia
- #5 San Diego St. vs. #12 Charleston
- #4 Virginia vs. #13 Furman
- #6 Creighton vs. #11 NC State
- #3 Baylor vs. #14 UC Santa Barbara
- #7 Missouri vs. #10 Utah State
- #2 Arizona vs. #15 Princeton
East
- #8 Memphis vs. #9 Florida Atlantic
- #5 Duke vs. #12 Oral Roberts
- #4 Tennessee vs. #13 Louisiana
- #6 Kentucky vs. #11 Providence
- #3 Kansas State vs. #14 Montana State
- #7 Michigan State vs. #10 USC
- #2 Marquette vs. #15 Vermont
West
- #1 Kansas vs. #16 Howard
- #8 Arkansas vs. #9 Illinois
- #5 Saint Mary’s vs. #12 VCU
- #4 UConn vs. #13 Iona
- #11 Arizona State vs. #11 Nevada (First Four)
- #3 Gonzaga vs. #14 Grand Canyon
- #7 Northwestern vs. #10 Boise State
- #2 UCLA vs. #15 UNC Asheville
Midwest
- #1 Houston vs. #16 Northern Kentucky
- #8 Iowa vs. #9 Auburn
- #5 Miami vs. #12 Drake
- #4 Indiana vs. #13 Kent State
- #11 Mississippi State vs. #11 Pitt (First Four)
- #3 Xavier vs. #14 Kennesaw State
- #7 Texas A&M vs. #10 Penn State
- #2 Texas vs. #15 Colgate
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