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The Saint Mary's Gaels take on the Gonzaga Bulldogs. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Saint Mary's Gonzaga prediction and pick. Find how to watch Saint Mary's Gonzaga.
This college basketball season has involved a number of shocking plot twists, and one of them is in the West Coast Conference. Imagine having someone tell you back in late October, one week before the season began, that the WCC would be a one-bid league for the NCAA Tournament, meaning that one of Saint Mary's or Gonzaga would not make March Madness. Both teams were viewed to be shoo-ins for the NCAA Tournament. They were both seeded No. 5 or higher in last year's Big Dance. They have both established track records as the two elite teams in the WCC over the course of the past two decades. Yet, as they prepare for this game in Spokane on Saturday night, the harsh reality is that neither team has an at-large-worthy resume right now.
Saint Mary's is not even in the at-large discussion. Home-court losses to Weber State and Missouri State shredded this team's resume. The WCC isn't good enough to build back the Gaels' profile — not to the point of being a clear-cut NCAA Tournament team. The Gaels know they need to win the WCC Tournament one month from now in order to make the Big Dance. This game against Gonzaga is important because if SMC wins, it will likely get the No. 1 seed in the WCC Tournament and have the best possible path to the conference tournament title.
Gonzaga has a chance at an at-large NCAA bid, but the Zags must win this game — the highest-value win they can get in WCC play — if they want to improve their at-large candidacy. A loss here makes it a lot more likely that Gonzaga will need to win the WCC Tournament to make the NCAA Tournament. Keep in mind that an at-large team is a team which fails to win its conference tournament. Gonzaga losing here means that if the Zags lose the WCC Tournament, they would absorb yet another setback on their portfolio. Can GU really afford two more losses the rest of the way? Probably not. This game is massive for the Zags.
Here are the Saint Mary's-Gonzaga College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Saint Mary's-Gonzaga Odds
Saint Mary's Gaels: +4.5 (-102)
Gonzaga Bulldogs: -4.5 (-120)
Over: 137.5 (-115)
Under: 137.5 (-105)
How To Watch Saint Mary's vs Gonzaga
Time: 10:30 pm ET / 7:30 pm PT
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TV: ESPN
Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Saint Mary's Could Cover the Spread
The Gaels have fallen well short of their own expectations, not to mention the expectations of the public. However, it has to be said that SMC has been a different and transformed team in WCC play. The Gaels are unbeaten in league competition and have won several conference games on the road. They beat Santa Clara, the third-place team in the WCC, by 24 points on the road and swept the season series from the Broncos. Saint Mary's won on the road at San Francisco as well. This team is ready to go on the road and beat Gonzaga, especially given the Zags' lack of convincing and consistent form this season. Saint Mary's has been better than Gonzaga over the past month. The Gaels can carry their winning edge into February.
Why Gonzaga Could Cover the Spread
The Zags are at home. They are desperate for a win. Saint Mary's is due for a loss in WCC play. Also keep in mind that this line started at GU minus-2.5 points and has been bet up to 4.5 points. There is a clear sense that Gonzaga is about to unleash a season's worth of frustration on Saint Mary's. The Zags are going to have a breakout game.
Final Saint Mary's-Gonzaga Prediction & Pick
The fact that Saint Mary's hasn't lost in the WCC makes it easier — not harder — to bet against the Gaels and for the Zags. Gonzaga will spring an ambush here and win decisively at home.
Final Saint Mary's-Gonzaga Prediction & Pick: Gonzaga -4.5
