An intriguing First Round game gets the West Region underway on Friday afternoon. The Atlantic 10 Champs, #12 VCU, will look to upset the #5 seed Saint Mary’s Gaels. Either #4 UConn or #13 Iona will get the winner of this game taking place in Albany, NY. Below is our NCAA Tournament first round pick for VCU vs Saint Mary’s.
VCU vs Saint Mary’s Betting Pick
| ℹ️ The Pick: | VCU +3.5 |
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This game will be played at MVP Arena at 2:00 p.m. ET on Friday, March 17, 2023.
Why Bet on VCU:
✅ VCU enters this game 9-0 in their last nine games played.
✅ The Rams are playing like a top 25 team and are certainly on the same level as this Gaels team.
✅ Saint Mary’s ended the season losing two of their last three games of the season.
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VCU Rams – It Feels Like 2011
VCU capped off their great end of season run with an Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament win on Sunday. The Rams were in a battle with the Dayton Flyers for quite some time, but the talent advantage took over and saw VCU lift the trophy.
The metrics rank VCU as the 53rd best team in the nation and the Rams are 5-4 in games verse Quad One and Quad Two opponents.
VCU is dancing for the first tie since 2021 and are looking for their first NCAA Tournament win since making the second round in 2016.
Saint Mary’s Gaels – Prove the Doubters Wrong
Saint Mary’s made it to the West Coast Conference Championship game, after receiving a bye to the semifinals, and were dominated in a 77-61 defeat to Gonzaga. The Gaels are an interesting case study this season as there are many questions on if this team is actually good or not.
Back in the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season, the Gaels will hope to make their first Sweet Sixteen since the 2019 season.
The Gaels rank out as the 11th best team in the nation and are an impressive 7-2 in their nine Quad Two games this season.
