Texas A&M vs. Saint Mary’s prediction Thursday: Round of 64 pick, odds, best bet for March Madness Saint Mary’s will make its fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance in its first-round matchup against Texas A&M on Thursday. The South region’s seventh-seeded Gaels are 3-1 in those first-round appearances, and enter the tournament with a 27-5 record after tying Gonzaga for the West Coast Conference regular season title. The 10th-seeded Aggies, who opened as 2.5-point underdogs, will make their fourth straight trip to the dance with a 2-1 record in their opening games in that span. They finished their regular season tied for fourth in the SEC standings at a 21-11 mark under first-year head coach Bucky McMillan. McMillan deserves some credit for a winning season after former head coach Buzz Williams took pretty much everyone on the roster with him to Maryland. The Aggies face a tough draw, as Saint Mary’s outsizes them significantly. Size was a recurring issue for Texas A&M throughout the season, as McMillan had to rely on small-ball strategies with 6-foot-7 center Rashaun Agee. Here, they’ll contend with the 13th-biggest team in the nation, anchored by 7-foot-3 Andrew McKeever and multiple players standing at 6-foot-7. Interior scoring will be challenging for A&M, and defensive rebounding will be a steep uphill battle. Saint Mary’s is ranked in the top 15 in both rebounds and rebounding percentage with an astounding plus-11 rebound margin. Texas A&M allows 32.5 percent of its own missed shots to be grabbed by the opposition. Even if shooting is equal, Saint Mary’s is likely to get more opportunities, and in a tournament setting, possessions matter. An upset for the Aggies would depend on how well they can force turnovers and create chaos with pace and pressure.#west_coast_conference #saint_marys #texas_amg #bucky_mcmillan #andrew_mckeever
