Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Vegas Play of the Day: Saint Mary’s vs. Gonzaga

WCC Tournament - Gonzaga vs. Pacific

Sam Morris/Las Vegas News Bureau

Gonzaga cheerleaders run their team flags onto the court before the start of the second half of their West Coast Conference tournament game against Pacific Saturday, March 4, 2016, at the Orleans Arena. Gonzaga won the game 82-50.

We’re entering the third season of the annual South Point-lined Play of the Day competition, effective July 1.

Starting bankrolls have reset to $10,000, with the maximum bet being to win $1,000 and the minimum wager $300. Ray Brewer won the 2015-2016 season, after Taylor Bern prevailed in 2014-2015. Bern stepped away in the middle of the 2016-2017 season with a 16-12 record and $13,317 bankroll, with Mike Grimala taking his place.

Saint Mary’s plus-5 vs. Gonzaga: $550 to win $500

Saint Mary’s is just as good as Gonzaga. I realize that’s hard to fathom, considering the Zags beat the Gaels by 33 combined points in two prior meeting this year.

But things should be different tonight at the Orleans Arena. Gonzaga shot an unbelievable 60 percent in the two games during the regular season.

Even a team as efficient as Gonzaga, which is fourth in the nation in two-point percentage, can’t keep that up forever. They certainly can’t keep it up against a team as strong as Saint Mary’s, which has improved its defense as the year has progressed.

The Gaels had their best game of the season last night in blowing out BYU 81-50 as 8-point favorites in the West Coast Conference tournament semifinals. The Zags weren’t as impressive in sliding past Santa Clara 77-68 as 23-point favorites.

Those performances would be worth dismissing as a measly one-game sample under normal circumstances, but they were a continuation of a bigger trend over the last couple weeks.

Saint Mary’s has improved while Gonzaga, at best, has stagnated. This will be the closest game both teams have played against each other.

Current Standings: Grimala (5-6, $10,050), Keefer (38-31-2, $9,531), Granger (12-13-1, $8,390), Brewer (24-26-1, $7,155)

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.

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