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The San Diego Toreros take on the Saint Mary's Gaels. Check out our college basketball odds series for our San Diego Saint Mary's prediction and pick. Find how to watch San Diego Saint Mary's.
The West Coast Conference college basketball season has been defined by one team. The Saint Mary's Gaels lost four of their first seven games this season, stumbling in nonconference play and creating the distinct impression among analysts and bracketologists that they were not going to make the NCAA Tournament. Their resume, after all, was in tatters. They were underwater. It seemed very unlikely that Saint Mary's was going to play its way into an at-large berth. If anything, the Gaels' main NCAA Tournament scenario went through the WCC Tournament and an automatic bid, not an at-large spot.
Yet, the Gaels have confounded the odds and the experts. They are perfect in WCC play, winning 13 of 13 games and beating Gonzaga on the road. They have a two-game lead over the Zags and are closing in on an outright WCC championship. That flood of wins has Saint Mary's in strong position to get an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Making sure to win games it is supposed to win — such as this game versus San Diego — is the main thing the Gaels have to do to secure their NCAA spot. Taking care of business now will ensure that if the Gaels lose to Gonzaga or anyone else in the championship game of the WCC Tournament, they will still be safe for an at-large March Madness ticket.
Here are the San Diego-Saint Mary's College Basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: San Diego-Saint Mary's Odds
San Diego Toreros: +20.5 (-110)
Saint Mary's Gaels: -20.5 (-110)
Over: 135.5 (-115)
Under: 135.5 (-105)
How To Watch San Diego vs Saint Mary's
Time: 11:00 pm ET / 8:00 pm PT
TV: ESPNU
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Stream: fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why San Diego Could Cover the Spread
The point spread is enormous. San Diego isn't that good, but the Toreros have scored a road upset win in the WCC this year, winning outright on the road at Santa Clara. They have won a few other WCC road games to put themselves in the middle of the conference at 6-7. They're not Pacific or Pepperdine, a tomato can at the bottom of the WCC. They're a mid-tier team which can cover a 20.5-point spread. Also keep in mind that Saint Mary's might downshift in this game, playing down to the level of its competition before it hosts Gonzaga next week. Saint Mary's might look ahead to that game and not play this game at full force.
Why Saint Mary's Could Cover the Spread
The Gaels are at home. They are a lot better than San Diego. Saint Mary's has delivered some very large margins in a number of its wins this season. The Gaels have covered a lot of big spreads. Saint Mary's is playing well and focused in WCC competition. Don't expect SMC to overlook this game, especially since it's the end of the weekend. There's no Monday game following this one. This is a game for the Gaels to lock in on. They will max out instead of taking it easy.
Final San Diego-Saint Mary's Prediction & Pick
The Saint Mary's story is impossible to ignore, and it should be respected. Given that San Diego is a mediocre team in the WCC, Saint Mary's should be trusted to blow the doors off this game. Take Saint Mary's.
Final San Diego-Saint Mary's Prediction & Pick: Saint Mary's -20.5
