Saint Mary's-CA (28-5) vs.na.
The Gaels continued their solid play in a second-round meeting against Villanova, as Saint Mary's upended the second seed in the South Region by a seven-point margin. The Gaels shot a solid 50.0 percent from the floor and connected on 20-of-26 attempts from the foul line. Once again the team relied on the inside presence of Omar Samhan, who poured in 32 points, to go along with seven rebounds. The backcourt tandem of Mickey McConnell and Matthew Dellavedova also got involved, as McConnell tallied 15 points, while Dellavedova posted 14 points. Samhan, who has dominated in the two tournament matchups, is currently pacing the Gaels with 21.5 ppg, 10.9 rpg and 97 blocks. McConnell has been a tremendous floor general throughout the season, and comes into this contest averaging 14.0 ppg, to go along with a team-high 172 assists. Dellavedova has distributed 146 assists on the season and is netting 12.3 ppg for Saint Mary's, which as a whole is producing an impressive 79.4 ppg. The Gaels are shooting a respectable 48.8 percent from the floor on the year, and come into this matchup netting an outstanding 41.1 percent from behind the arc.
Baylor led by as many as 14 points in the first half against Old Dominion, and never looked back, as the Bears defeated the Monarchs in second-round action by an eight-point margin. LaceDarius Dunn overcame six turnovers by pouring in 26 points, to go along with six rebounds. Josh Lomers added 14 points and eight rebounds, while Tweety Carter dished out eight assists, to go along with 12 points. Dunn is clearly the best scoring option for Baylor, as the guard is averaging an impressive 19.4 ppg. Dunn has been very dangerous from behind the arc throughout the season and is netting 42.0 percent of his attempts from long range. Carter has been a tremendous floor general, as the guard has distributed a team-best 181 assists, to go along with a 15.1 ppg.Taking control of the play in the paint has been Ekpe Udoh, who is posting 13.9 ppg, to go along with team highs in rebounds (9.7 rpg) and blocks (128). As a whole, the Bears are producing a respectable 77.3 ppg, behind an equally impressive 48.9 percent shooting effort.
The Gaels have put forth a tremendous effort in this tournament, and they should play well again this evening. However, the Bears are simply too tough, and should move into the next round in a hard-fought battle.
Predicted Outcome: Baylor 77, Saint Mary's-CA 74
