Saint Mary’s vs. UConn odds, picks and predictions

The 5th seed Saint Mary’s Gaels (27-7) square off with the 4th seed Connecticut Huskies (26-8) Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Tip-off from MVP Arena in Albany, NY is set for 6:10 PM ET (TNT). Below we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around Saint Mary’s vs. UConn oddsand make our college basketball expert picks, predictions and best bets.

no. 19 in USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll Saint Mary’s handled VCU 63-51 on Friday in a game considered by many to be an upset. No. 12 ranked UConn is coming off an 87-63 dismantling of Iona in its first-round affair Friday.

While the Gaels will want to use a slow pace and their 5th-ranked scoring defense (59.9 points allowed per game) to make things up, UConn will want to play a more up-tempo game with its 29th-ranked offense (78.7 points per game ). ).

UConn also has an elite defense, allowing just 65.0 points per game (40th), and if it can hold the Gaels down to that average, there’s very little chance Saint Mary’s will be able to keep up. If the Gaels are able to get closer to their average of 71.1 points per game (184th), they could make this an even game until the end.

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Saint Mary’s at UConn odds

Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access the USA TODAY Sports Score and Sports Betting Odds hub for a complete list. Lines last updated at 9:34 a.m. ET.

• Moneyline (ML): Saint Mary’s +160 (bet $100 to win $160) | UConn -190 (bet $190 to win $100)
• Against the spread (ATS): Saint Mary’s +4.5 (-115) | UConn -4.5 (-105)
• Over/Under (O/U): 127.5 (O: -112 | U: -108)

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Saint Mary’s at UConn picks and predictions

Prediction

UConn 71, Saint Mary’s 64

Moneyline

SEND.

UConn punched its ticket to the second round because it demolished an Iona team with a more productive offense than Saint Mary’s by holding them to just 63 points.

Saint Mary’s will need to slow this game down to stay close, but the athleticism of UConn will eventually overcome and the Huskies will pull away. But while UConn (-190) is too steep for a straight bet, adding a parlay is fine.

Against the spread

BET UCONN -4.5 (-105).

First year student G Aidan Mahaney has been fantastic for Saint Mary’s all season, but he was held to 0 points and 2 assists with 4 fouls in 18 minutes in the first round. UConn may also limit what he can do while providing a far superior offense to VCU.

Huskies F Adama Sanogo can take over the game like he did in the first round when he shot 13-for-17 for 28 points and added 13 rebounds. He will force the Gaels to try to keep him out of the paint, but with his talent and the surrounding cast, the Huskies will be able to cover that margin.

Playing approximately 130 miles from campus, UConn will have a huge advantage in fan support. This will lead the Huskies to a win and a Sweet 16 berth against Arkansas.

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Over under

AVOID.

Even though everything says this game will go under, the number 127.5 is simply too low to take.

Saint Mary’s has lost 8 of its last 11 tournament games, while UConn has lost 4 straight after an ATS win and 4 straight after a head-to-head win.

However, the offensive potential of UConn playing close to home combined with the Gaels having to take a cross country road trip for 2 games in 3 days makes the Over a better bet. In case of mismatched value, it is better to just avoid the game altogether.

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