Subscribe
Follow Us
It's time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Saint Mary's Santa Clara prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Saint Mary's Santa Clara.
The Saint Mary's Gaels are at it again. Much like last season, they stumbled a few times in nonconference play but have really begun to come together in conference competition. One year ago, Saint Mary's entered West Coast Conference play not looking like an NCAA Tournament team. However, the Gaels went 15-1 in the WCC regular season to win the conference championship. SMC then beat Gonzaga in the WCC Tournament championship game to establish clear-cut superiority against its longtime rival in the conference.
So far this season, Saint Mary's is authoring a similar story. SMC didn't look particularly impressive in nonconference action, losing to Arizona State, Boise State, and Utah State. However, as soon as the Gaels got back into WCC games, they thrived. Saint Mary's is the only WCC team with a perfect conference record. The Gaels are two games up on Gonzaga in the loss column, three or more games up on every other team in the conference. If the Gaels merely split their two-game head-to-head series with Gonzaga this season, they will almost surely win the WCC regular-season championship for yet another year. At worst, a split with Gonzaga would point to a shared championship with the Zags. No other WCC team is likely to catch and pass Saint Mary's in the conference title race. It would take an unexpected slump from the Gaels for that to happen.
If SMC is going to slump, however, and if the Gaels are going to finally come back to the rest of the pack in the WCC, this is a game in which Randy Bennett's team might get tripped up. Santa Clara isn't a relentlessly consistent team, but when the Broncos are at their best, they are a very tough out. They scored 103 points on the road at Gonzaga and shocked the Zags in one of the WCC's bigger upsets this season. The Broncos have also beaten Oregon State, San Francisco, and Washington State. You don't know which version of Santa Clara you're going to get on a nightly basis, but when this team shows up, it is a handful. We will see if the Broncos are able to give Saint Mary's their best shot and give the Gaels their first conference loss in 2025.
Here are the Saint Mary's-Santa Clara College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Saint Mary's-Santa Clara Odds
Saint Mary's: -4.5 (-110)
Moneyline: -200
Santa Clara: +4.5 (-110)
Moneyline: +164
Over: 138.5 (-110)
Under: 138.5 (-110)
How to Watch Saint Mary's vs Santa Clara
Time: 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT
TV: ESPNU, ESPN Plus
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Saint Mary's Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Gaels haven't lost a WCC game yet this season. They just won a road game at Washington State to reaffirm how tough and consistent they are in conference play, and more specifically in difficult road environments. If SMC can win in Pullman, it can win in Santa Clara as well.
Why Santa Clara Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Broncos have beaten Gonzaga. They have dominated other good WCC opponents. They will give Saint Mary's a vigorous challenge and should be in this game until the final horn, which would indicate a cover of the spread even if they don't win outright.
Final Saint Mary's-Santa Clara Prediction & Pick
This is a very tricky game to bet on. Saint Mary's might win, but not by much. Pass.
Final Saint Mary's-Santa Clara Prediction & Pick: Santa Clara +4.5
