2017 March Madness: Arizona vs Saint Mary’s preview, prediction, TV schedule
By Connor Hope
The Arizona Wildcats meet the Saint Mary’s Gaels in a second round battle for a Sweet Sixteen birth.
TV Schedule: Saturday, Mar. 18, 7:45 p.m. ET, CBS
Arena: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, UT
In the final game from Salt Lake City, Sean Miller’s Arizona Wildcats will take on Randy Bennett’s Saint Mary’s Gaels.
In their first-round game against the VCU Rams, the Gaels earned an efficient 85-77 victory. Behind Jock Landale’s 18 points and 13 rebounds, Saint Mary’s rarely took bad shots, going 55.6% from the floor. While they were able to win the rebound battle 37-29, the Gael’s were not secure with the ball, finishing the game with 15 turnovers.
The Arizona Wildcats also won a high scoring affair, beating the North Dakota Fighting Hawks 100-82. Behind 20 points for both Lauri Markkanen and Kadeem Allen, as well as an additional 18 points from Allonzo Trier, the Wildcats played their most efficient offense of the season.
When comparing the two teams, there does not appear to be an overwhelming favorite.
Arizona plays very well on both ends of the court, has one of the deepest benches in college basketball, and has been known to go on big scoring runs. They do, however, often make mistakes when pressured by a defense, giving the ball away more than 13 or more times on 13 different occasions this season. There have also been times, where they have settled for bad shots instead of attacking the paint.
Saint Mary’s, on the other hand, has a very efficient and methodical style of play. The Gaels rarely turn the ball over, do not foul often, and shoot a very efficient 49.7% from the floor. Their biggest weakness, however, is long, athletic defenders who can create turnovers and score in transition.
The key to this game for both teams will be controlling the tempo.
While Arizona prefers an up-tempo game, Saint Mary’s will try to slow the game down to a crawl. The Gaels play at the second slowest tempo, which is why they are ranked No. 198 in points per game, despite boasting a top 10 field goal percentage.
Saint Mary’s Achilles’ heel this season has been the Gonzaga Bulldogs, a team that boast athletic guards, tall forwards, and an aggressive play style. That is why my pick for this game would be the Arizona Wildcats. The Wildcats are relatively similar in play style to the Zags, although they do play at a slower tempo.
Next: Predictions for the Final Four
The Wildcats’ combination of depth, athleticism, size, and efficiency will give the Gaels problems. This mismatch will allow Arizona to control the tempo and lift them into the Sweet Sixteen.
Prediction: Arizona 79, Saint Mary’s 71