The Colorado State Rams take on the Saint Mary's Gaels. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Colorado State Saint Mary's prediction and pick.

The Saint Mary's Gaels started this college basketball campaign with a 26-point blowout of Vermont and a 30-point demolition of North Texas. Was a juggernaut about to emerge? That was premature. However, even if it seemed that Saint Mary's wasn't quite a tower of strength, it certainly seemed after those early conquests that the Gaels were going to be the kind of team which swatted away inferior teams rather easily. The Gaels' lack of high-end athleticism would be exposed against really good teams such as Houston (and it was), but SMC was going to win all the games it was supposed to win and become something similar to the very solid team it was last season. The Gaels made the 2022 NCAA Tournament, were a No. 5 seed, and pounded Indiana in the first round before losing to a really good UCLA team in the second round. That's an above-average season for Saint Mary's, which has often reached March Madness under coach Randy Bennett but has rarely gained particularly high NCAA Tournament seeds. SMC will never get to Gonzaga's heights, but the Gaels did just about as well as they could last season. Early this season, it was reasonable to think the Gaels could get close to last season's standard.

It doesn't seem that will be the case.

Saint Mary's, after its imposing early run, lost to Washington in Anaheim and then fell to New Mexico at home. The Gaels did give Houston a really good defensive test before losing late in the game, but that loss to Washington in particular (the Huskies lost to Cal Baptist and have struggled for much of the season) was an unexpected blemish. Saint Mary's has to regain lost momentum and find ways to score more regularly.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Colorado State-Saint Mary's College Basketball odds.

College Basketball Odds: Colorado State-Saint Mary's Odds

Colorado State Rams: +11.5 (-110)

Saint Mary's Gaels: -11.5 (-110)

Over: 131.5 (-105)

Under: 131.5 (-115)

Why Colorado State Could Cover the Spread

This is a double-digit spread against a Saint Mary's team which can and will go through shooting slumps and scoring droughts. The Gaels' losses to Washington and New Mexico (and of course their loss to Houston) were all marked by poor shooting performances. Saint Mary's will struggle to score. It has usually been the case under Randy Bennett, who tries to make sure the Gaels play strong defense and can withstand their dry spells on offense. Colorado State is not a spectacular team, but as the Washington-Saint Mary's and New Mexico-Saint Mary's games showed, it doesn't take spectacular basketball to beat or at least come close to beating Saint Mary's. The Gaels are a fundamentally vulnerable team, and Colorado State can capitalize on that reality.

Why Saint Mary's Could Cover the Spread

The Colorado State Rams were an NCAA Tournament-quality team last season. They were also a high NCAA Tournament seed last season, getting a No. 6 seed before losing to No. 11 seed Michigan in the first round. That was a terrific team with great inside-outside balance and ample scoring options.

This season's team is nowhere close to that standard.

Colorado State has four losses, none of them particularly good ones. Charleston, Penn State, Colorado, and Northern Colorado have all beaten the Rams. Penn State might be the best loss of that bunch. None of those teams is a clear NCAA Tournament team. Penn State probably has the best chance of playing its way into the NCAA Tournament field in the Big Ten Conference. Colorado has absorbed a lot of early-season losses despite a win over Tennessee. Colorado State just hasn't displayed a standard of play which will measure up to Saint Mary's, and this game is not in Fort Collins, where the Rams might have a better chance.

Final Colorado State-Saint Mary's Prediction & Pick

This game figures to be one-way traffic. Colorado State has lost four of six while Saint Mary's recently defeated San Diego State and New Mexico State. Take the Gaels.

Final Colorado State-Saint Mary's Prediction & Pick: Saint Mary's -11.5