The Saint Mary’s Gaels (28-5) face the Vanderbilt Commodores (20-12) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, in Cleveland, OH.
Under coach Randy Bennett, the Gaels secured a bid despite losing in the West Coast Conference title game to Gonzaga. The No. 7 seed in the East is led by senior guard Augustas Marciulionis (14.3ppg). Saint Mary’s is known for its disciplined, defense-oriented play and efficient offense.
The Commodores earned their NCAA Tournament berth and a No. 10 seed in the EAST despite losing their last three games heading into the Tournament. The dimutive Jason Edwards leads Vandy in scoring averaging 17.0 points per game.
Saint Mary’s will look to impose their methodical pace, emphasizing ball control and defensive pressure. Vanderbilt’s success may hinge on exploiting the Gaels’ defense from the outside in – shoot well from the perimeter before attacking the paint. The Commodores’ ability to adapt to Saint Mary’s tempo and execute efficiently will be crucial.
Lets dive into the matchup and offer some information and possibly a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the opening tip, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Game details & how to watch Vanderbilt vs. Saint Mary’s
- Date: Friday, March 21, 2025
- Time: 3:15PM EST
- Site: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
- City: Cleveland, OH
- Network/Streaming: truTV
Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest scores and player news. Check out our day-by-day NCAA Basketball Schedule Page that includes live game updates.
Game odds for Vanderbilt vs. Saint Mary’s
The latest odds as of Thursday courtesy of BetMGM:
- Odds: Vanderbilt Commodores (+155), Saint Mary’s (-190)
- Spread: Gaels -4.5
- Total: 135.5 points
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Expert picks & predictions for Vanderbilt vs. Saint Mary’s
NBC Sports Bet Best Bet
Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NCAA calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, injuries, and the schedule.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday’s Commodores & Gaels game:
- Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
- Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Vanderbilt Commodores +4.5.
- Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Game Total UNDER 146.5.
Vanderbilt vs. Saint Mary’s: Top betting trends and recent stats
- Vanderbilt has lost its last 3 games
- Vanderbilt is 0-3 against the spread in their last 3 games (18-13 ATS for the season)
- Saint Mary’s is 0-4 against the spread in their last 4 and 3-7 in their last 10 games (14-16 ATS for the season)
- Vanderbilt is 3-1 against Saint Mary’s in their respective histories (Vandy is 3-1 ATS in those 4 meetings)
- These teams last met in 2022
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NCAA Basketball Top Trends Tool on NBCSports.com!
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