2022 NCAA Tournament First Round: No. 5 St. Mary’s Gael’s vs. No. 12 Indiana Hoosiers
How to Watch:
- Date: Thursday, March 17
- Time: 7:20 p.m. ET
- Location: Moda Center in Portland, OR
- TV: TNT
- Live Stream: NCAA.com
Tale of the Tape:
| No. 5 SMC | STAT | No. 12 IND |
| West Coast | Conference | Big Ten |
| 25-7 | Record | 21-13 |
| 69.8 (236th) | Points Per Game | 71.5 (177th) |
| 60.5 | Points Allowed Per Game | 65.9 |
| 0.6398 (6th) | RPI | 0.5574 (70th) |
| 58th | Strength of Schedule | 33rd |
| At-Large Bid | Bid | At-Large Bid |
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Saint Mary’s leaders:
- Matthias Tass, F, SR: 12.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.0 APG, 55.3% FG
- Tommy Kuhse, G, SR: 12.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 46.9 3PT%
Indiana leaders:
- Trayce Jackson-Davis, F SO: 18.1 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 2.4 BPG, 58.9% FG
- Xavier Johnson, G, JR: 12.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 5.0 APG, 1.2 SPG, 38.0% 3PT
Odds, Lines, and Past Performance:
- SMC Moneyline: -150
- IND Moneyline: +130
- Spread: SMC -3
- Over/Under: 131.5
- ATS Record: SMC 19-10-2, IND 20-14
- Over/Under Record: SMC 15-15-1, IND 17-17
Odds courtesy of Draftkings. For the latest odds, click here.
The Pick:
- Before they were able to topple the Cowboys in the First Four, we covered the Hoosiers as one of our first-round upset best bets. They are a fairly balanced team, ranking 36th in the nation in KenPom’s adjEM, but they truly shine on defense. They’re 8th in the nation in 2-point field goal defense and 15th in blocks, which makes it difficult for teams to score on them in the paint.
- However, the Gael’s also have a strong defense, finishing 9th in KenPom’s defensive efficiency metrics. They also force slightly more steals per game than their opponent, with seven a game to the Hoosiers’ 5.6.
- This game will be played at a slow pace, with the Hoosiers ranking 184th in adjusted tempo and the Gael’s coming in at 338th.
- The Gael’s are also one of the worst rebounding teams in the tournament, ranking 258th in rebounds per game (although part of that is connected to their slower pace), so it’s possible that a slow game favors Indiana, who ranks 109th.
- If it’s close at the end, the Hoosiers rank just 237th in the country in free-throw percentage, which could be an issue.
